SHADOWS IN THE DARK
by PipkinTwo
Summary: The YellowEyed Demon is dead. Why is Sam still getting visions and headaches? Who are the Shadows in the Dark? Can Dean stop Sam from having his mind eaten by the thing inside his head? Can they all really get rid of Satan's Evil Shepherds?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: When I own it all, I'll call you!

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

PROBLEM? WHAT PROBLEM?

_Dean screamed and jerked upright, in a reflex reaction to the sudden overwhelming pain in his back. The dark shadow melted away to rejoin the other dark shadows of the forest as Sam's voice was heard yelling, coming closer and closer. Dean tried to answer but his breath came in ragged pants as he sank slowly to his knees. The world tilted as he collapsed into a heap on the leaf litter of the forest floor. The dark shadows hissed with glee, and the tension returned to the forest shadows, as they waited for the other man-thing to come. Then they could have a feast, the like of which they hadn't had in too long. The dark shadow tensed as the tall man-thing appeared. Then it hissed, looking at the long shiny thing held across the man-thing arms. The shadow creature knew from past experience, the pain these things could cause. With that thought, it withdrew further into the shadows, and began stalking the man thing, drooling at the thought of the feast to come._

Dean laid in the bed, looking up at the ceiling, thinking how alike ceilings of different motels were – especially the kind of motels they stayed in. Dean glanced fondly at his younger brother lying asleep in the room's other bed. It was highly unusual for Dean to be awake before Sam, and this wasn't a picture of Sam that Dean saw very often. Dude, Dean thought, doesn't he ever stop moving? Sam was twisting around in the bed, and now that Dean was fully concentrating on Sam, he could see the strain and pain appearing on Sam's face, inch by inch, until all the muscles in his face were clenched tight. No way, Dean thought, it can't be - man Sam only looked like this if he was having a vision- and they had passed away, along with that ugly sucker of a Yellow eyed-son-of-…

Dean's thoughts were interrupted when Sam bolted upright in bed and yelled

"No, Dean don't!"

What the? Dean thought, scrambling to Sam's side and giving Sam's shoulder a firm shake.

"Sam, wake up bro" said Dean, shaking Sam's shoulder. Dean could see that Sam was still locked into whatever dream/nightmare this was, and hadn't snapped out of it yet.

"Sam, c'mon bro, wake up" Dean said louder, shaking Sam more firmly. Eyeing off Sam, Dean saw it had made no difference.

Shrugging his shoulders Dean bent down to Sam's ear, opened his mouth and yelled

"SAM!!!!"

"Argghhh" yelled Sam, jumping with freakish speed backwards up the bed, and away from the sudden, blaring noise in his ear. He glared around, heart pounding, and saw Dean standing next to him staring at him.

"Man, did you do that Dean? Did you scream in my ear?" Sam angrily growled at Dean.

Dean stood up and stepped back to sit back down on his bed, relaxing taunt muscles he didn't even realise that had tensed. He noticed that Sam was breathing hard and a fine sheen of sweat coated his forehead. Sam's face was still screwed up in pain, and was getting screwed even tighter. Woops, Dean hadn't thought of that! If Sam did indeed have a migraine, then getting screamed at, in his ear, was probably not going to improve the situation at all. Dean shrugged – oh well.

Sam groaned and lay back down in his bed. He rolled over onto his stomach and covered his head with his pillow.

"Problem Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Headache" Sam groaned "….and it's Sam"

Dean got up, grabbed the bottle of painkillers out of Sam's bag and a glass of water from the kitchen. He snapped out two pills into his hand, and went back to the Sam's bed.

'Here ya go Sam," Dean said, holding out the water and pills to Sam.

Sam ignored him.

"Sam" Dean tried again, and when no reply came, he pushed the bed with his knee, and snapped "Sam" again.

Sam groaned "What? Can't you just leave me alone Dean?"

"Here Sam, take these, they will help with the headache," Dean again offered glass and pills to Sam.

Sam lifted his head slowly off the pillow, frowning and opening his eyes just a fraction -trying not to let too much light into his eyes, and yet still being able to see. He noticed the glass of water and pills that Dean held out to him.

"Thanks Dean," Sam said taking the water and pills from Dean. He then swallowed them and gave the glass back to Dean. He sank bank into the bed and recovered his head with his pillow.

Dean was left standing next to Sam, looking down on him.

You're welcome, Dean thought to himself.

Dean briefly considered asking Sam about the headache. He really needed to know what had happened to Sam, where this crappy headache had come from. Was it an ordinary seriously bad headache or a Vision- induced Migraine? It just couldn't be, Dean thought, as he gave himself a mental shake. That evil yellow eyed demon was dead! Totally and utterly dead! No way could that evil mother be giving Sam visions – no way! Yet as he was thinking this, a small quiet voice seemed to be saying in his mind "But are you really sure about that?" That was the problem; he was fairly sure, but totally sure? No. How could he be totally sure? It wasn't like he could just jump onto Sam's laptop and type "Yellow-eyed Demon; death of; visions never returning; into Google and finding the answers, was it? Dean gave himself another mental shake. Well, whatever!

Man, was he starving! Dean was tough; he could take most painful or uncomfortable situations and just go with the flow of it. Except this one thing - he hated being hungry. All his life he had hated it when he was hungry. He picked up the TV remote and walked over to his bed. He sat down on his bed, resting his back against the headboard and turned the TV on, ensuring the sound was turned way down so as to not bother Sam. Dean flicked the channel button, trying to find something that would hold his attention, and enable him to forget the rumbling in his stomach. He wished he could wake Sam up and let him know that he needed food. Dean's stomach chose at that moment to let out a particularly loud rumble, and Dean grimaced. Man, he wasn't just starving – he was dying of hunger! Dean glanced over to Sam, wanting to give him a shake and tell him to… to… At that moment Sam gave a small groan of pain, and Dean knew there was no way could he wake his brother up, not just for food.

Dean leaned his head back and closed his eyes, his mind drifting back to all the times this scenario had been played out in the past. One of the boys laid flat out on one of the beds in pain and the other waiting impatiently and worriedly. Man, their life stunk!! All the things they did, all the things they sacrificed along the way and it was all for what? Dean could almost hear his Dad's voice in his head saying "What we do is important son; we kill bad things so others may live."

A loud rumbling interrupted Dean's thoughts. That was it!! Dean knew Sam wouldn't wake up for at least another hour, maybe two. He couldn't stay here starving another minute. He got up, grabbed the room keys, picked up his car keys and locking the door behind him went in search of some breakfast.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: When I own it all, I'll call you!

* * *

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

NIGHTMARE? WHAT NIGHTMARE?

_The dark shadows were all around; he could feel the evil of them. Looking around he couldn't see anything that looked wrong, but he sure could feel it. He cradled the shotgun tighter to his chest and made his way cautiously to where his brother lay crumpled on the ground. Crouching down, still keeping watch on the surrounding forest, he shook his brother's shoulder, then again and again until the man groaned._

_As he felt a sense of relief gathering inside him, he realised at once what was wrong. There were no noises in the forest, total quiet. No birds, no bees, no scurrying patter of animal paws, absolutely nothing. The flare of worry spread through his gut again, how was he going to get his brother up and out of here, with that evil waiting for him to slip up? Sam's breath hitched and caught in his throat. He managed to sit his brother up and he felt the warm sticky feeling of blood dripping over his hand. Dean was hurt, bad if all this blood was anything to go on. Sam realised with utter horror that he could no longer hear Dean groaning, or even breathing. With a sinking feeling he knew, he just knew, Dean was dead. Sam yelled " No, Dean don't" but he couldn't finish the sentence, the "Don't leave me" dying unsaid in his throat as he too crumpled into a heap to lay sobbing, cradling his dead brother's body against his chest._

Dean sat in the booth of the small eatery, waiting for his breakfast. He idly wondered about getting Sam something, but knew that when Sam woke up, he wouldn't be eating anything for a couple of hours. Dean gradually realised there was a young woman standing at the edge of his table with his breakfast order on a tray. She was looking at him in a puzzled kind of way. Dean realised uncomfortably that she had probably spoken to him, and he, being off in La-La land hadn't heard her. Dean smiled up the waitress, putting all his charm into that smile.

"Sorry about that," Dean said, "I'm just worrying about my kid brother. He's not well, and I left him sleeping." Girls always went soft and gooey over men showing their caring sides. Dean was already plotting how he could get this pretty young woman's phone number off her, and where they could go so they could get a bit of "privacy" later on. Hmmm, maybe he needed to take a drive around the town, see what "Beauty spots" there were around.

"You did what?" the young woman ground out. She slid his breakfast onto the table and looked at him, a small frown starting to appear between her eyes. Dean realised that this was not going exactly the way he had planned.

"Hey, it's ok," Dean explained "he's not exactly a kid any more, and it's only a migraine."

The young woman just glared at Dean "And you just left him there, all alone, so you could come and fill your stomach? Typical selfish male, that's all you guys ever think about, your stomachs. He probably needs help, and your too busy stuffing your face to care about him!'

Wow, thought Dean, this girl was seriously Way-Over-the-Top with the TLC thing. Dean stood up, shovelled what eggs and bacon he could onto the slices of toast before him and pushed past the woman. He glared at her and growled out "You don't know nothing, so just shut-yer-cakehole and get out of my face!" With that Dean stormed off, throwing enough money to cover his meal, onto the front counter of the shop. He got in his car, threw it in to reverse, and drove away in a fit of temper. Nobody knew how much time and worry he put into Sammy. No one ever knew how awful he felt when Sam got hurt or sick. No one knew how unfair this felt at times to Dean. Dean felt like he was choking on the whole unfairness of it all. He had been told so often in his life that he was to take care of Sammy, that it was his job to make sure that Sammy was ok, that he did it all without even thinking. The young woman in the shop had cut Dean to the depths of his soul. Dean pulled up outside of the motel room and just sat, thinking about his past, about things that might have happened, about what his and Sammy's life might have been like. Dean sighed and shifted his sight to the motel office, hoping no-one saw him sitting here daydreaming. Being such a girl, this was what Sammy would do – not Dean. Sighing Dean got out of the car and crammed as much of his breakfast as could into his mouth, chewing mightily. As he put the keys into the lock of the motel door, he realised he had seen a newspaper stand outside the office. Withdrawing the key, Dean sauntered down to the newspaper stand and took a paper. He then returned to the room and started reading the sports pages, while he waited patiently for Sam to wake up.

By the time that Sam finally opened his eyes blearily, Dean had read the paper – twice. Good grief Dean groaned in his mind, I'm turning into a geek like Sam, reading all the paper- twice!

However, he admitted, reading the paper had solved their problem of what to do next, well, after he had found out what that little nightmare of Sam's had been about this morning.

"So Sammy," said Dean, "What was with you this morning?"

"Huh?" Sam answered rolling his eyes at Dean's use of Sammy. "What was with me? Hey man, I didn't scream into your face just because I was bored" snapped Sam.

"Bored?" Dean answered puzzled "No Sam, I meant, what was the nightmare about?"

"Nightmare - I didn't have a nightmare Dean, well at least not until you descended into juvenile hell, again, and decided to be a real pain!"

Dean looked at Sam's face, trying to see if Sam was bluffing, or really telling the truth about not remembering the nightmare. He decided that Sam was either getting too smart, or he was actually telling the truth, Dean just couldn't decide which by looking at Sam's face. Dean grunted, letting the subject slide away.

"So when will you be ready to move out Sam?" Dean asked

"Why?" Sam asked "Found us another job?"

"Yep, I think so. But I really need my geek boy on this job, so I think we can wait till tomorrow, and let poor ole geeky have a rest day"

"No way Dean!" Sam growled out. Dean looked up at Sam, wondering what was eating him now. Lately Sam had been really bad tempered, muttering stuff that Dean could only vaguely hear, and shoving his bad attitude in Dean's face, almost the way he did as a bad tempered teen rebelling against their dad's orders. Dean smiled at the memory, only to be pulled back to the present by Sam storming off, muttering under his breath what curiously sounded like a few choice curse words that Dean only occasionally used himself. Dean felt and heard the slam of the bathroom door and Sam disappeared inside the room to shower and dress. Dean realised with a guilty start that Sam thought Dean was laughing at him. Dean rolled his eyes, wondering if kid brothers could get PMT or PMS or whatever it was that women were forever talking about, stuff that made them edgy and moody. Hmmm, Dean thought, Wonder if I can Google that?

Forty minutes later the brothers were speeding along the road, leaving the town behind them. Dean cast his mind back through the last hour, and wondered what was eating Sammy. First Sam had slammed the bathroom door, then he had had a mini meltdown at finding that Dean had eaten all their meagre food supplies the night before, then when they had packed up and moved out to get fuel Sam had stormed off into the shop to get some food, throwing back, of course, the loud comments about Dean's eating compulsion. Dean had ground his teeth in frustration. When they had finally started driving Sam had gone on and on and on about not having any food, about Dean's total selfishness in eating all the food, on and on and on, an endless litany. Finally Dean had shouted "Sam STOP!"

Sam opened his mouth to carry on and Dean growled.

Sam looked at Dean and Dean looked at Sam. "I'm warning you Sam, let it go man, just let it go" Dean wasn't just angry with Sam, he was furious – mostly at himself admittedly. Yes he should have made sure there was food, but Sam's accusing him of selfishness, man that was bad. That was unfair. So they drove away, the car filled with a heavy angry silence that they both wished they could break.

Sam felt awful. He sighed, a deep belly aching sigh, and choked back the lump in his throat. He knew he had been rotten to Dean, and not just this morning either. He always had this headache at the back of his skull, banging away now, all the time. It made him edgy and bad tempered and he knew he had cut Dean to the quick when he had called Dean selfish this morning. Sam knew Dean wasn't selfish; that Dean couldn't be selfish with anything. If they had ever run out of food, Dean had always made sure Sam had had enough to eat, and gone without himself. If Sam was cold, Dean always gave him his coat or blanket. Dean always put Sam before himself. Sam felt like a monster. These continual nightmares that he was getting were scaring Sam too. He desperately wanted to talk to Dean about them, but how could he? Dean died in them. Over and over and over Sam had dreamed about Dean's death, until Sam was doing anything but sleeping. Sam knew that was why he had had the migraine. Too little sleep - that could always be counted on for triggering a migraine with Sam, not that he had ever told Dean that of course. Dean had always assumed that Sam's migraines had come as a result of his visions from the Yellow-Eyed-Demon. Oh hell, Sam realised belatedly that Dean would be worrying about where his migraine had come from, why Sam had got one. Dean also knew Sam had a nightmare, Sam reasoned from Dean's point of view, and just knew that Dean was worrying if some other demon was working its way into Sam's life the way that evil Yellow-Eyed-Demon had. Sam sighed again. It looked like it was time to level with Dean.

Sam turned to Dean, not knowing that Dean had been studying his little brother for a while, wondering what was going on in his freakishly geeky mind. Hopefully, Dean thought, no chick-flick moments, please!

Sam cleared his throat and said "Dean, I need to talk to you, can we pull over for a bit?"

Dean took a long look at Sam, and pulled off into a rest stop siding. Dean reached down and turned the car off, the sudden quiet making Sam remember the last time he had heard such deadly silence – in his dream cradling Dean's dead body to him. Sam bit his lip, took a deep breath and began to tell Dean about his dream that had started over 2 weeks before.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: If I ever get to own any of it, I'll call you!

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

NOW WHAT? 

_Sam lay curled up on the leaf litter of the forest floor, sobbing. Unconsciously rocking his dead brother's body back and forward, just as Dean had done for him, when he had been sad or sick. Only this time, Dean would never get up, never tease Sam again, oh God, why? Why did Dean have to die? Sam sobbed uncontrollably. He couldn't bear the idea of living without Dean. Dean had always been there for him. Always. What was he going to do without him? Slowly the idea came to Sam, and the more Sam thought about it, the better it seemed. I'm sorry Dean; Sammy whispered to his brother's body, I'm sorry I couldn't save you. With that Sam reached down, grabbed the shotgun that was still in his arms, placed it underneath his chin… and pulled the trigger._

Dean lay still in his bed, wondering what had woken him up at this ungodly hour of the day. He had just checked his watch – 4:50 am. Dean groaned. Dean was defiantly not a morning person, that was Sam's department. Thinking about Sam, Dean looked over at Sam and saw him twisting and turning under the sheets, moaning. Dean got up and went over to Sam's bed, reaching out his arm to shake Sam's shoulder. Suddenly Sam sat bolt upright in bed and screamed.

"Arrggghhhh" Dean yelled, his heart thumping in his chest. He staggered backwards a couple of steps and sat down on his bed, holding his head in his hands. Man, that was awful!

Dean got up again, and leaned over and gave Sam's shoulder a firm shake, "Sam, c'mon man wake-up, SAM"

Sam looked at Dean with glazed eyes Dean called "SAM" loudly again and was pleased to see the glazed look in Sam's eyes fading away. However, instead of being clear, they filled with tears.

"Sam?" Dean queried.

Sam took a deep shuddering breath, and tried to hold back his tears. Knowing it just wasn't going to work this time, Sam swung himself out of his bed, grabbed his clothes off the floor and darted into the bathroom.

"I'm going to have a shower" he called back to Dean.

Dean stared after Sam in bewilderment. Man his brother was one seriously weird geek! Sighing, Dean lay back on his bed and waited for Sam to drag his body out of the bathroom, knowing it would be a long wait.

Sam realised that the tears were not going to stop, and he hated crying in front of Dean. He felt like such a wuss, so he did the only thing he could think of… he went in the shower. Sam turned on the cold water in the shower and just watched the water sluice down the walls and floor. The tears came unbidden and unwanted, but he was helpless to stop them. After a while Sam felt the tears slowing down, so he turned the hot water on, and stood under the warm calming water. He knew Dean would be waiting for an explanation, but Sam honestly didn't know what to say. He had thought that by telling Dean about the nightmare, and its deathly progression over the last 2 weeks, that it would have been banished. However, if the result of last night's nightmare was anything to judge, it certainly hadn't ceased. Or had it? Sam thought about the end result of the nightmare and wondered what on earth could possibly happen next? Both he and Dean were dead in his nightmare. What else could happen?

When Sam left the peace of the bathroom, he saw Dean waiting for him. Sam mentally rolled his eyes at Dean's face. Dean was in full anxiety "Big Brother Mode," which severely annoyed Sam. He was 23 for heavens sake, old enough and certainly big enough to take care of himself, he didn't need a babysitter.

Dean looked up as Sam came shuffling out of the bathroom, seeing his brother's face. Sam's very thoughts were written all over Sam's face plain as day. Best to get this over with, Dean thought to himself.

"Yes you do Sammy."

Sam's head jerked up and he looked at Dean from where he had been dumping his clothes down.

"Huh?" was Sam's reply. "Yes I do what Dean?"

"Sorry Sammy, but you do need someone to take care of you, dude. That's my job man, you know it"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Look Dean, thanks for the offer, but I'm a big boy now and I can take care of myself"

"Nope" was Dean's needling answer.

"Dean, cut the crap" Sam snapped out, "I'm 23 years old and perfectly capable of looking out for myself, so stop worrying yourself sick over me. Just live your own life, and worry about yourself man." Sam knew he was just wasting his breath with Dean. Dean would never ever, ever relinquish his protector role of Sam; it was too deeply ingrained in him. Damn Dad, why did he have to do this to them, thought Sam.

Dean did a double blink, wow Sammy was growing up! Hmmm, maybe time to change subjects. Dean felt that Sam might be approaching a chick flick moment and Dean knew he absolutely had to avoid that, at all costs.

Sam slumped down onto his bed and tiredly rubbed his face. He hated this tension that kept building up between them, and in a quiet part of his mind Sam privately admitted most of the build up was his fault. He should have told Dean what had been going on with him, a long while ago. He just hadn't wanted Dean to worry over him. At that moment Sam nearly laughed out loud. He had been trying to hide all this stuff from Dean so Dean wouldn't go into overdrive of "Anxious Big brother Mode" and look where that got him!! Dean was in hyper-overdrive of "Anxious Big brother Mode!" Ok, so maybe he had made a bit of a mistake. Sam sighed again. Oh well, he thought, here goes nothing. Sam lifted his head to look across the room at Dean, only to find a pair of green eyes staring at him from the other bed, directly across from him. Sam jumped, startled.

"Gotcha didn't I Sammy?" laughed Dean.

"Damn, when did you get so quiet Dean?" Sam queried.

Dean just gave Sam this weird look, almost saying, are you ever going to get down to the point of this little conversation?

Suddenly Sam felt suffocated, and he knew that he just couldn't off load all his issues onto Dean, not at the moment.

"It's ok Dean, I just need a bit of time."

Dean glared at Sam, knowing when Sam was avoiding talking about something.

"Sam?" Dean kinda growled out.

Sam sighed, again. "Leave it Dean"

"Sammy"

Sam looked at Dean "Dean, look man I know you care for me, but you just got to give me a bit of room on this one ok? Look dude, I promise I will tell you what is happening, just… just not yet?"

Dean looked at Sam's drawn face and mentally tossed a coin. Sam knew what Dean was doing, and was pleased when it evidently came down on Sam's side.

"Ok" Dean replied "But the minute I think you're going under, you're talking ok?"

"'kay" Sam replied, look at Dean and smiling "Thanks man"

"It's ok Sammy, just remember – no chick-flick moments, and please we aren't going to hug are we?"

Laughing Sam stood up and moved to where his laptop sat unopened on the motel table. He suddenly felt freer than he had in weeks.

Opening up his laptop, he looked at Dean.

"So ok dude, what's the hunt for?"


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: sigh When I own Supernatural I will call you!

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

CHAPTER 4 

Thanks to LILYandJAMESareCUTE for Beta help

_It jumped at the loud sound, and the following echoes. It looked back at the two slumped figures. Nothing moved in the shadows of the forest. It was quiet, deadly quiet. After what seemed like an eternity, the dark shadow moved, quietly, cautiously towards the bodies on the forest floor. It drooled a little in anticipation of the feast to come. So much food - so much delicious food -enough for all to share. Slowly, more dark shadows of the forest moved towards the still slumped figures. Quietly at first, and then growing louder, came an unmelodic sound, almost a chant with no meaning to it. When all the shadows were around the figures they reached down and picked up them up, taking them back to their home, back to the feast, to the cooking fires._

_As the shadows lengthened and the chanting noise faded away, the normal noises of the forest came back. All that remained of the tragedy was the shotgun and the rapidly drying blood._

Dean woke up, and instinctively looked over at Sam. Man, Dean noticed that Sam was twisting and groaning again. Dean sighed; this was beginning to seriously annoy him. He stood up and reached out to Sam, to shake him, when all of a sudden Sam woke up, sat up, looked wildly around, and then threw up all over the bed, Dean and the floor. Dean stood with his arm outstretched towards Sam, stunned. Then he realised what had happened and thought ewwwww, gross, dude. Sam looked up at Dean, mortified beyond words.

"Gosh Dean, I'm, I'm sorry man" Sam stuttered.

Dean just glared at Sam and marched into the bathroom. BANG, went the door. Sam cringed; Dean was seriously annoyed with him.

Sam got out of the bed and checked out his clothing, not failing to notice that he hadn't got any puke down himself. Well, that was a bright spot to his day, but he really felt he shouldn't share that detail with Dean!

Sam stripped his bed and remade it with clean sheets, suddenly realising that he didn't feel sick at all. Why did he puke then? Sam was still sitting pondering this when Dean came out of the bathroom. Sam looked up at Dean and waited for the blast. He didn't have long to wait.

"Are you okay Sammy?" Dean asked tentatively.

"Yeah, thanks Dean. I'm really sorry man, you know, about… you know" Sam stuttered.

Dean took a last look at Sam and turned away saying

"Well, I guess it's not like you planned it."

Sam was stunned. He was sure Dean was going to blast him.

"Dean?" Sam asked "Are you ok man? Are… Do you feel sick?"

Dean looked at Sam incredulously. "You mean am I sick because I just got puked on? Man, what were you thinking Sammy? You know you don't throw up in bed man, or over a person, that's just gross man" Dean took a deep breath to continue the tirade, but saw Sam's face. He looked horrified. Dean let go of the breath he was holding.

"Sammy, I'm sorry man, let's just forget it okay?"

Sam nodded forlornly. Dean sighed. He sat down on Sam's bed next to him. He leaned over and looked at Sam.

"Seriously Sammy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Dean"

"What's wrong Sam? Why did you just throw up?"

"I don't know Dean. I don't feel sick; I haven't been feeling sick…." Sam's voice tapered off.

Dean looked up quickly, to see why Sam had stopped talking. He noticed Sam looking pale and his breathing seemed to be shaky. Dean got ready to run, in case Sam threw up again. Then Dean realised that Sam knew something.

"Sammy, what is it?"

Sam licked his suddenly dry lips and tried to slow his breathing down. He felt light headed at the memory that was surfacing in his mind. Sam felt that it was probably time to tell Dean everything that had been happening…everything!

Sam drew in a deep breath. "It all began about three weeks ago. It was during the hunt in the White Mountains National Forest. It was the one with those campers going missing, and then only partial burnt skeleton remains ever being recovered."

Dean nodded in remembrance.

"Well", continued Sam hesitantly "well, it was while we were there that this, this…." Sam's voice trailed off. Dean looked at Sam, noticing that Sam was staring intently at the floor.

"Yeah and…?" Dean prompted Sam.

Sam looked really nervous, but he glanced up at Dean and saw him staring intently at him, so he cleared his throat and took a deep breath before continuing.

"Well, it was while we were there that I started hearing this voice in my head"

Dean started "Sammy, hey that's not good man. You should have told me dude, you know I understand, the stress of this job, it can make you a bit crazy sometimes. Sammy, you should have said something, we could have you know… got you into a shrink somewhere." Dean looked uncomfortably at Sam.

Sam smiled at his brother's discomfort.

"No Dean, I don't mean those sorts of voices man, I mean soft whispery invading voices"

"Aahh, of course", Dean answered, looking dazed and quite out of his depth.

Sam thought this quite amusing, but didn't laugh out loud at Dean.

"So what were these soft feathery voices saying?" Dean asked

"I don't know" Sam answered.

"Huh" Dean responded, "Sam if they're talking in your heard how can you not know what they're saying?"

Sam thought on the voices and what he remembered them saying to him. "It wasn't talking exactly, some of it was chanting, really, really off key chanting. The voice only ever said one word that I could understand"

"What was that?" asked Dean

Sam paused, licking his lips again, realising with hindsight exactly what the word had meant. "Hungry"

Dean saw Sam go pale and his breath starting to race. Dean also realised what it meant too, upon reflection of their knowledge of the case.

"Man that is so not cool. You think they were…" Dean paused a short moment before going on "Eating the campers?"

Sam swallowed convulsively, trying valiantly not to throw up over Dean, again.

Dean got up and started pacing up and down the floor in front of Sam.

Sam closed his eyes, Deans pacing was making him dizzy.

After a short moment Sam licked his lips and said "There's more Dean"

Dean looked at Sam in amazement. "More?"

Sam shook his head "Uhuh"

Dean sat down beside Sam and sighed deeply.

"Ok Sammy, tell me the rest"

"Ok, well the voices didn't go away when we left, not totally. It was like they were turned down real low, but I could still kinda hear the noise in the background. On and on, all day and all night. I couldn't sleep…"here Sam paused sheepishly before continuing on "That's why I got the Migraine the other day"

Dean just looked at Sam and sighed, rubbing his hand over his short hair.

"Anything else I should know" Dean asked Sam, a more sharply than he had intended too.

Sam breathed in deeply and tried to not notice the bark of command in Dean's voice.

"Um, you remember the dreams I told you about the other day?" Sam asked Dean.

"Yeah" was Dean's reply.

"Well, I had another two of them. The one from the night before last followed the one where you died."

Dean looked extremely uncomfortable at the topic in Sam's dream, but he kept quiet all the same.

Sam carried on, unknowing of the discomfort he was causing Dean.

"Well, this time I was a bit upset about losing you… and, and I cried a bit. It wasn't just losing you; it was being alone in the world. Dean, man it was awful!" Sam's voice caught in his throat and he paused uncomfortably, waiting for Dean to tease him, saying he was a girl or calling him Samantha. However, Dean didn't. He just sat there with his head hanging down, gripping his hands together with his knuckles turning white. Sam decided to carry on with his tale.

"So anyway, I couldn't stand the idea of being alone, so I used the shotgun I was carrying to shoot myself…" Sam trailed off, looking back in horror of the moment.

Dean looked at Sam incredulously "You saw yourself shoot yourself?" Dean asked

"Saw, and Dean, I felt it, I tasted it" Sam's face blanched white at the memories.

"Is that it?" Deana asked, wanting it to be over so he could go outside and get some fresh air.

"Just one more -the dream from last night." Sam looked at the floor again and his fingers convulsively kneaded the sheets beneath his hands. He so did not want to go into this one, but he knew he had to.

"We were both dead, and this… this thing" Sam spat the word thing out like it burnt his mouth, "This thing came up to us, with some more of his buddies, and picked us up and took us back to their village. They put us on a spit and cooked us over a fire." Sam was swallowing convulsively now, trying so hard not to puke again. "Then they ate us"

Dean looked at Sam in horror. "But we were like dead, weren't we Sam?" Dean asked horrified

"Yeah, but Dean, it was like I could feel each bite of us and I could taste the taste of human flesh…"

Sam jumped up and made a mad dash for the bathroom. Dean heard the sound of vomiting and grimaced. Well, he thought better in there, then over the bed or himself again.

After a while of silence, Sam opened the bathroom door and walked unsteadily over to the bed. He looked at Dean, and Dean looked back up at Sam.

"You okay Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, sorry" Sam mumbled.

"Hey dude its okay, no problem" Dean smiled

Sam just looked miserable. He sat down on the bed again.

"Dean you do realise we have to go back and get rid of these things don't you man? We can't leave even one of these things alive; we got to get them all. People should be able to go camping and not chance being…. Eaten"

Dean nodded agreement to Sam's words.

"Okay Nerd Boy where do we start then?" asked Dean punching Sam on the leg.

Sam got up and made his way over to his laptop, remembering the unsuccessful research he had done the day before.

The screen lit up with the Google logo, and Dean, watching, smiled at the memories of things he had imagined searching for. Oh yeah, thought Dean, just imagine Sammy's face when he found the search statement for 'Men and PMT." Dean snorted at the picture of Sam's face in his mind – the confusion, the look of "what the?" Hmmmm, maybe the next time the geek boy annoyed him he would search it out, just to seriously annoy him. Dean noticed Sam watching him and immediately wiped the smirk off his face and looked attentively at the screen, ignoring Sam's questioning look.

Sam sighed and started typing.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: When I own it - I will call you!

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

CHAPTER 5

_The fire burned brightly, sending shooting sparks up to the dark sky. The surrounding shadows of the forest seemed to swell and shrink in time to the soft velvety whispering sounds. He felt surreal; almost vapour like as he listened to the haunting words, yet finding nothing he could quite understand. One of the shadows detached itself from the other shadows of the night and made its way to the fire. The whispering discordant noise slowly died away, to leave a deathly and uneasy quiet in the forest clearing. The shadow slipped over the ground to where he stood (floated?). He could hear it muttering and tried harder to hear the words (sounds; noises) it was making. The more he listened the more he felt distracted, uneasy. He tried moving back and away from the discordant noise but found that he seemed glued in place, yet he felt like he was being pulled apart, inch by inch, molecule by molecule. He needed to get away NOW. He knew there was one way, one person who could help and he struggled to say that name, to call him, to beg for help. His tongue felt like wispy spider threads, he concentrated harder on making the sounds, harder and harder and then …eee…again…ee …again harder… eannnn…. Nearly, so close…. again….. Deeaannn then trying just one last time before he disappeared completely …DEANNNNNNNNNN_

The scrape and clunk of keys in a door lock did not disturb the slumber of the sleeper, nor did the soft squeaking of door hinges as the door was slowly opened. Dean glanced across at Sam as he placed the take out food and coffee that he had just bought on the table. Surprise, surprise thought Dean, Sam was twisting, turning and groaning in his bed like some sort of demented snake. Dean took a step towards Sam and then stopped, going instead to the wall and grabbing the trash can. He took this with him as he went to Sam, in preparation to waking him. Better safe then sorry was Dean's motto, as was Always be Prepared. No way was he getting Sammy puke over him this morning. Dean reached out, grabbed Sam's shoulder and gave one almighty shake, yelling at the same time "SAM."

Sam jumped awake, his heart pounding and found himself looking into a trash can. His questioning eyes looked up at his big brother. "Dean, what are you doing?" Sam asked, pushing the smelly and quite revolting can away from his face.

"Just being prepared Sammy, just being prepared"

"You turning into a Boy Scout now Dean?" Sam asked, as he climbed out of bed and stretched.

"Better than being a Girl Scout Samantha" Dean smirked back.

Sam groaned and thought that it was way too early for Dean to start in on him. Man, he was so tired. Making his way over to the table Sam sat down and picked up a coffee and smelt it. Aahh, the smell of his half caf, double vanilla latte tickled his nose as he paused in anticipation of that first glorious sip.

Dean watched Sam and smirked, his little brother was such a damn geek!!! That weird concoction of his that he called coffee? Dean knew the only proper thing you could call coffee was what he had, black, straight and strong. He wandered over to the table and joined Sam as they both began to eat their way, in silence, through the food on the table.

After only crumbs and empty papers remained to show that there once had been food on the table, Dean looked at Sam and noticed the black heavy bags underneath his eyes. Sam, feeling Dean staring at him, looked up from the table where he had been thinking over the information they had gleaned from their research the day before.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Man Sam, you look like a Panda with those black eyes. When was the last time you actually got a good nights sleep?"

Sam sighed. Dean was worried, and that meant he was going to cluck over him like a mother hen. Sam hated it when Dean did that. For heavens sake he was 23…".Sam realised his thoughts had wandered this way before and so shelved them away.

"It's been awhile, but I'll be okay"

"No Sam it's not okay. I need you sharp for this hunt man. I need you to watch my back and to say that weird mumbo jumbo crap. I sure as heck can't do either, if you go and get yourself planted face first in the dirt bro.'"

Sam went to say thanks to his brother for his praise, but one look at Dean's face told Sam there was another dig coming his way, so instead he waited.

Dean didn't keep Sam waiting for long before adding "only a Book nerd geek boy like you could mange to say that sort of crap Sam. I'm built more for the hunt and killing, strong, lean and mean that's me!"

Sam just glared at Dean, and before Sam could say anything Dean butted in with

"Hey it's okay Sammy; we can't all be strong, tuff chick magnets. Besides I need you around to show all those chicks how good I am – well in comparison to nerds like you anyway!" With that Dean sauntered off, leaving Sam grinding his teeth, thinking that one of these he was so going to get Dean. If it was the last thing he did, he would get him good.

Sam was researching again when Dean emerged out of the bathroom a short while later.

"So Sam, we still going with the plan then?" Dean checked with Sam. "I'm gonna ring Bobby and see what he can find on these… these things?"

Sam looked up and stood up stretching, "Yep, you should also try Ellen, she hears a lot of stuff from other hunter's. I'm not having a lot of success on the usual sites."

Dean looked up worriedly, "But do we have enough to do this job Sammy?"

Sam chewed on his lower lip while he checked over the information he knew on these things. "I guess we do, but I really would like a few bits extra Dean." What Sam didn't add was – especially since he had already seen their gruesome and revolting deaths he really wanted to know as much as was humanly possibly.

Dean nodded in agreement and took out his phone to do his calls. Sam sauntered off into the bathroom to make himself ready to move on for the hunt.

When Sam came out of the bathroom, in a billow of steam, Dean was just disconnecting his phone with a rueful look on his face.

Sam gave his brother a questioning look.

Dean saw the look Sam gave him and decided to totally ignore it. He sure didn't want to tell his brother what Ellen had said to him. Man, what was it with that woman? Didn't she realise that they were both grown men? Doing the occupation they did injuries occurred all the time, Dean did his best at protecting Sammy, but… Damn Sam and his big puppy dog eyes – now Ellen was on Dean's case about looking out for Sam. Dean sighed.

"So Dean, are we going or what?" Sam asked

Dean dragged his thoughts back to the room and away from his last phone call. "Yep, we're good to go Sammy. I'll fill you in on the way. Let's pack and blow this place."

Sam nodded agreement to Dean and turned to start putting his clothes and belongings away in his bag. Dean turned away and started doing the same. It wasn't long before both the boys were standing at the door, bags in hand blinking at the bright sunlight that shone down outside. Walking as one, they went to the Impala's boot and chucked their duffel bags in. Dean slammed the boot shut and both boys climbed into their respective seats. Dean started the Impala up and revelled in the throaty roar of the engine. Sam let his brother listen for a minute and then cut short Dean's dreams.

"Okay, so where to first?"

"Find Fryeburg on the map Sammy, then the next closest town to the place we were last time?"

Sam nodded in agreement and dug around underneath his seat for the map case. He was pleased he had found this "Nerd Boy Wonder Toy" as Dean liked to call it, but the truth was it kept all their maps together, and more importantly saved them heaps of hard scrounged money in buying new maps all the time. Sam rummaged through and found the relevant map. He saw quickly that it wouldn't be a long drive, and hoped that Dean could spit out all the relevant details of his phone calls in that small amount of time.

"Okay" Sam said studying his map, "Head out of town till you get onto Main Street East and then keep going till you hit Kancamagus Highway, it's quite a ways till you need to turn so I'll let you have new directions then. So what did Bobby and Ellen have to say?" Sam stretched back comfortably and prepared himself to hear the details from the others that Dean had spoken to.

Dean glanced over at Sam and seeing that he was ready to listen attentively, began to summarise the phone conversations he had had earlier that morning.

"Okay, so Bobby wasn't too sure how to kill these things, but he's certain they're called "Shadow People."

"What" interrupted Sam, "Man I could have told you that that's what they were!"

"Anyway" Dean growled letting Sam know he didn't want interruptions all day, " Bobby said that was their name as far as he knew but he is going to look in his books for us and will ring to let us know any further details. He did have some vague recollection that killing them was linked to the cycle of the moon, and that it involved a chant from some weird dead language."

Sam groaned. Great now he would have to learn some new, dead totally weird language and do a chant in it? This was just what he didn't need at this moment. Man he was so tired. He wished he could get rid this awful headache and these buzzing whispers that were floating around in his head all the time. He wondered if Dean had thought to ask Bobby about these symptoms.

"And Ellen" Dean added, cutting into Sam's thoughts "Had a few things to add. Firstly she told me not to have anything to do with these evil things. She said they were old, very old and that she had heard they had weird tastes in the food line."

Sam tried hard not to gag on the thought of what these shadow things ate.

Dean carried on, unaware of Sam's battle with his heaving stomach and his dream memories.

"Oh and Ellen suggested that we pay a visit to someone in Littleton when we get there. Apparently they will sell us something that will help us with killing these things."

Sam looked at Dean silently asking a question.

Dean read Sam's face and grinned.

"She's an Herbalist. She does herbs and healing powders for people. Oh and her special sideline? She makes charms and potions for hunters… like us, Sam!"

Sam brightened at this idea. Maybe he could get an amulet to wear to stop this damn whispering and headache. Things were looking better.

"Oh and one other thing that Bobby added" said Dean," Try saying one of those prayer things that Pastor Jim was always on about. Here, I wrote the thing down; I knew I wouldn't remember the name of it". Dean passed a note over to Sam. Sam screwed his eyes up at Dean's writing and looked up questioningly.

"Hey don't look at me Sam; you're the one who listened to Pastor Jim and his stuff. When we stop you can get Jim's book out and look it up, ok? Bobby thinks it might temporarily banish the things in your head."

Sam nodded wearily. The sun coming through the windshield was making it hard for Sam to stay awake, the interior of the car was warm and comforting, the fresh air coming in the windows of Impala smelt of new mown grass and…..before Sam realised what had happened he had slipped into a light slumber.

Sam roused when the lack of the rumbling noise from the Impala's engine worked its way into Sam's mind. Sam blearily opened his eyes and shuddered as he pulled his mind away from the seductive but cloying whispers he could still hear in his mind.

"Where are we?" Sam asked Dean, throat dry and scratchy from sleep.

"Littleton, New Hampshire Sammy boy"

Sam looked around and saw Dean had pulled the map over to his side of the car. Wow Sam thought, he must have been out like a light. Dean grinned knowing Sam was going to start worrying about not doing his job at navigating. Dean hadn't woken Sam up, simply because Sam was so tired. Dean knew Sam sure needed all the sleep he could get, and if it was in the safety of the car then so be it.

"It's fine Sammy, let it go man."

Sam looked at Dean and smiled, "Thanks Dean, I must have needed the sleep. So where to now?"

Dean bent down and looked out of Sam's window and read the sign of the shop

"Jenny's Herbs"

Dean and Sam got out of the car, both stretching and relaxing. Dean entered the shop first, followed by Sam. A young woman came out of the back room of the shop, walked rapidly up to Sam and hissed at him

"Get out"

Sam looked at the young woman and then at Dean in astonishment.

'"What?" Sam asked

The young woman opened the door and pushed Sam out, shoving him mightily until Sam was outside the shop, staring back at Dean in bewilderment.

"Hey" Dean protested "What's your problem with Sam?"

"He's unclean and until he becomes clean he is unwelcome in my shop!" With that the young woman pulled a paper packet out of her pocket and proceeded to sprinkle a line across the doorway of the shop. Dean was gob-smacked. How often had he and Sam done something like that he wondered.

Sam felt angry and decided to re-enter the shop and bring some sense to this young woman….. Unclean indeed!

Sam took two steps to the front doorway of the shop and stopped. He felt like he had run into a brick wall. In fact it was worse than a brick wall. Sam's vision doubled and then trebled, his stomach roiled and his head felt like it was on fire.

"Dean" Sam gasped out, just before he fell in a heap on the side walk.

* * *

If I've missed something out, or the story seems to not be connecting.. let me know by dropping me a line.. Ok :). 


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I don't own nuthin...but the minute I do... I'll call!

DARK SHADOWS

A/N: Sorry it is so long, but I just couldn't find a good stopping place.

* * *

Sam came to, propped up against the side of the Impala. As awareness slowly crept back into his mind, he realised that there was a crowd gathered around the front of him. He glanced around and found Dean talking to a paramedic who was industriously writing notes. Sam then felt a shake on his shoulder and looked up into the face of another paramedic.

"How are you doing son?" the older paramedic asked Sam

"I'm, I'm fine thanks," Sam stuttered, wishing he knew what Dean was telling the other paramedic.

"Hmmmm, well, you let us be the judge of that" answered the paramedic, pushing down on Sam who was trying to get up off the floor.

'Man, I'm fine, just let me up" Sam pushed against the restraining hand.

Dean, hearing raised voices, looked back at Sam, worry lining his face. He saw what was happening and raced over to Sam's side.

'How are you feeling Sammy?" asked Dean

"I'm fine Dean" Sam growled out, "And it's Sam"

Dean rolled his eyes and smiled at the paramedics. 'Well, I guess that solves that then doesn't it?" he asked them. "It doesn't look like he really needs to go the hospital, does it?"

"Hmmmm" replied the older paramedic, "Well; we still don't know why he collapsed on the pavement though. I think he would be better off going to hospital and having some tests."

Dean, knowing Sam would fight ferociously against going to hospital, smiled and said that he felt it was just because Sam hadn't eaten for a while. So Dean offered "How about we go and get Sammy here some food, and then if he still feels at all dizzy or wussy… er I mean woozy, I will bring him in to the hospital myself?"

The paramedics seeing that neither brother was inclined to go to the hospital finally gave in, packed up their gear and drove away.

Dean offered Sam his hand to help him up and Sam climbed unsteadily to his feet. He opened the passenger's door and sank gratefully onto the seat. He leant back and leaned his head against the door post of the car. Dean walked around and climbed in the other side. He looked angrily at the Herbalists shop and vowed he would be back to visit her the moment he had Sam settled somewhere that he could rest. Dean started the Impala up and pulled away from the kerb. Sam, still feeling the effects of the invisible vibrating brick wall at the Herb shop, leaned his head back and allowed his mind to drift away. Dean glanced worriedly at Sam as he drove, looking for the motel that Ellen had suggested they stay at. After finally finding the motel tucked away in a quiet side street, Dean pulled into the front car park and went in to book a room for Sammy and himself.

Sam came out of his stupor, and looked around. Seeing the motel in front of him, he realised that Dean had gone to get a room for them. Sam stretched out in the cramped confines of the Impala; still feeling the side effects of whatever it was that he had walked into at the herbalists. Sam sat musing on what the young woman had spat out at him, all the while trying to ignore the worsening headache and the constant whispering, which seemed to be getting louder, in his mind.

Dean returned, jangling the keys in his hands, smiling to see that Sam was at least awake, if not looking real perky. Dean drove the Impala across to their room and set about getting them settled into their new temporary home.

Sam lay back on his bed, feeling worse with each passing minute. Hell, he thought, finishing the plan in his mind, his head couldn't possibly feel any worse than it already did. Sam sighed deeply. Dean knew Sam was plotting something and waited impatiently for his brother to share the idea with him.

Sam finally looked over at Dean and asked "Where is Pastor Jim's book?"

Dean sighed, knowing it was still in the trunk of the Impala.

"Do you want it now Sam?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded his head, and offered to get it instead of Dean. Dean, knowing that if Sam tried to go and get the book out of the car, would probably end up face down on the pavement again, went out and retrieved the book without grumbling.

Sam got the piece of paper out of his pocket and found the relevant page in Jim's book.

Dean asked Sam "Why do you need to read that now?"

Sam looked at Dean. "I was just thinking about these damned voices and visions I've been having Dean. They can't be coming from the Yellow-Eyed Demon, but they feel…evil." Sam looked up at Dean to see if he was going to laugh at him.

Dean, feeling Sam's uncertainty replied "Hey Sammy, you're the one who's got these voices in your head; I don't have a clue what's going on in that freaky little head of yours bro'."

Sam taking that as the reassurance it was intended to be, smiled at Dean. "Thanks Dean."

Dean grimaced and hastily replied "aww, we're not going to have to hug are we?"

Sam rolled his eyes and carried on speaking "So, if I am…contaminated… with evil, I was wondering if reading this would make me …clean…again?" said Sam lifting Jim's book.

"The woman at the herbalist shop said I was dirty Dean, and I feel…" Sam trailed off.

"Yeah, well, me and Miss Jenny the Herbalist With the Nasty Mouth are going to get acquainted real soon, and then she's gonna tell me what this crap is all about" Dean growled.

Sam glanced at the page in Pastor Jim's book, and showed it to Dean. "You're sure that's the one Bobby suggested?" Sam quizzed Dean. Dean shrugged, and said

"Sammy, if that's what I wrote down, then yeah it's the one Bobby suggested…. and don't be asking me why, cos we have already gone around that tree once and I already told you- I. DON'T. KNOW."

Sam could see that Dean was getting uptight. So double checking with Dean, Sam said "And I just have to read it?"

Dean growled "Yes". Then he leant his head back and closed his eyes, effectively ending the conversations and Sam's procrastinating any further. Besides which, Dean didn't really know if he wanted Sam to read from Pastor Jim's book… the bible had always made him feel uncomfortable. Sam sighed and started to read. Silence reigned in the little motel room, for about ten seconds and then Sam screamed.

Dean bolted upright, heart pounding, ready to protect Sam from… Dean hastily looked the room over and saw… nothing.

His look returned to his brother and saw that Sam had dropped the book and was curled up in a ball holding his head, groaning.

Dean dropped down besides Sam "Sammy? Sammy?" Reaching out tentatively, Dean touched Sam's shoulder. "Sam?"

Sam looked up at Dean with pain filled squinting eyes.

"Just give me a minute Dean," Sam gasped.

"Sure Sammy," Dean replied, sitting up and moving over to his own bed.

Dean switched on the TV and hastily turned down the sound and sat watching the TV, all the while surreptitiously watching Sam out of the corner of his eye.

Sam gradually relaxed from the awful pain that had engulfed him, and unbeknown to his mind, he slipped into a deep, deep coma like sleep.

Dean kept on checking Sam over the next two hours and when he seemed no closer to waking then when he had first gone to sleep, Dean decided to go and pay the herbalist a visit. He really needed to know what was going on with his brother. Sam might be an annoying freaky geeky younger brother, but he was all the family Dean had, and it was up to him to keep him safe. At the moment, Dean didn't feel like he was doing real well in that department at all.

Dean roared off down the road, planning exactly what he would be doing and saying to Miss Jenny the Herbalist with the Nasty Mouth once he got hold of her, and none of it was going to be nice.

Dean soon pulled up outside the innocuous looking Herb shop and opened the door, entering the shop to the tinkling of a little bell. The same young woman who had attacked Sam came out again. When she saw who it was she froze momentarily.

"Get out" she said, turning her back and walking away.

Dean walked towards her, checking out that there was no one else in the shop and what possible exits there were. The young woman realised Dean was not leaving, in fact he was coming towards her, and she admitted, he looked pretty darned angry too. She turned around and drew herself up to her full height and said in a commanding voice "GET OUT." Dean just looked at her, wondering who the heck she thought she was. Maybe Gandalf? Sam always said Gandalf behaved bossy like. Dean's attention was dragged back to the young woman as she reached down behind the desk and grabbed up a bucket of water. She hurled the contents of the bucket over Dean. Dean stood in the middle of the shop dripping wet, staring in stunned amazement at this young woman who appeared to be totally insane.

"Oh no, Oh my, oh, oh" was all the young woman could stutter out.

"And what the hell was that all about?" Dean ground out between clenched teeth as water ran down his soaked clothes and pooled into a growing puddle at his feet.

The young woman blushed red and looked wildly around as if searching for some magical escape route. It was only at this moment that the full enormity of her situation reached her. She was standing alone, in her shop, with an extremely angry and dangerous young man who was blocking the only exit to her shop. She gulped anxiously and took a trembling step backwards, and then slowly another. If she could just get to the back room…Dean guessed where she was thinking of heading, and instantly strode over to her and grabbed her arm tightly.

"Oh no you don't sister. You and I are going to get acquainted, real well acquainted, and you are going to tell me what the hell you have done to my brother, and what all this crap is all about" growled out Dean pointing to his soaked clothing.

"You're hurting me," the young woman gasped out, trying to uncurl Dean's fingers from around her arm.

"Tough" Dean grunted, taking a tighter grip of the young woman "You have hurt my brother. No one hurts Sammy. Now tell me what you thought you were doing, before I get impatient and snap this pretty little arm of yours in two" so saying this, Dean gave the young woman a vicious shake.

At this the young woman burst into tears and yelled "Let gooooo," and promptly tried to kick Dean in the shins. Dean looked out the front of the shop, and dragging the young woman with him, went to the front door. He reached out and turned the lock and reached up and pushed the bolt home in its lock. He also turned the door sign from "Open" to "Closed." Then he turned back around and dragged the sobbing, wriggling young woman into the back room of her shop. Dean noticed that there was no other exit door in the back of the shop. In fact, other than one chair and a long table piled high with stuff, there really didn't seem to be much else in there. Dean shoved the young woman into the chair and towered over her.

"What did you do to Sam?" Dean ground out.

The young woman tried to scrunch down in the chair, still crying and rubbing her arm.

Dean dispassionately noted the red finger marks that marked her skin and fought to keep his temper under control.

Dean leaned over her head and growled out again "What did you do to Sammy?"

Dean would later swear that the young woman was trying to shrivel herself into nothing. She glanced up, straight into Dean' face, jumping when she saw how close he was to her.

Dean reached out, grabbed a handful of her, yanked her head up, shoved his face right in front of hers and shouted "WHAT. DID. YOU. DO. TO. MY. BROTHER?"

Upon reflection Dean realised this was probably not a good idea to do to someone who was already really scared and had now jumped to the terrified beyond being terrified department. The young woman screamed and started shaking, her breath coming in gasping ragged pants. Dean, recognizing hysteria when he saw it, let go of the young woman and stepped back to lean on the table. Crossing his arms he prepared for a long wait, until the young woman could speak coherently.

A long wait it was too. Dean rolled his eyes and wondered what it was with women and tears. Dean found it very vexing, but resolved to stay where he was and remain calm, well what passed for calm for Dean with Sam lying hurt.

After a long fifteen minutes the young woman had finally stopped crying, and was reduced to giving the occasional muffled hiccup. Dean noticed that her eyes were red and swollen and her nose reminded Dean about the children's Christmas song of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. Dean shrugged his shoulders. She shouldn't have thrown a bucket of water over him, nor should she have hurt Sammy. Dean thought to himself, how crazy was this chick? What good would throwing a bucket of water on someone do? The only good it would do would be if that person was…ohhhh. Dean realised what the young woman had been thinking the same instant the young woman looked up at Dean and said in a muffled thick voice

"What do you want?"

Dean rolled his eyes at himself and asked the young woman "Do you have a name?"

The young woman just stared at Dean.

Dean grimaced at her, rolled his eyes again and said "look I'm not going to hurt you and I think we both know I'm not …dirty… in any way now, so just tell me your name and perhaps we can then clear up this whole situation."

"Jenny, my name is Jenny" the young woman told Dean hesitantly.

Dean moved, startling Jenny who jumped.

"I told you, I'm not going to hurt you," Dean growled, hating Jenny's reaction.

"Let me guess, the water you threw over me was Holy water wasn't it, blessed by your local priest?" Dean asked "And you threw it over me, cos you thought I was processed, or had evil inside me?"

Jenny gawped at Dean, looking like at him like he was nuts "Are you insane?" Jenny asked? "Holy water, what the heck is that?"

Dean took a good look at Jenny and sighed. "Jenny, Sam and I are hunters. We know all about the evil-son-of…" Dean sighed "Well, we just try and kill whatever evil is out there, so others can live in happy oblivion"

Jenny took a good long look at Dean, and sighed. "Okay, yes it was Holy water, and it comes blessed by either the local Catholic priest or our local Anglican Vicar"

Dean stood looking at Jenny, waiting.

"What?" Jenny asked irritably.

"Don't you have anything else to add?" Dean growled out

"Oh, er, sorry?" Jenny added.

Dean resisted the urged to shake Jenny, and instead just glared at her and snapped, somewhat shortly "Sam."

"Who?" Jenny asked puzzled.

"Sam, my brother, the one you threw out of your shop earlier and then hit him with some hoodoo crap out of your paper bag. My brother who is so deeply asleep I can't wake up him up" Dean snapped back.

"But" Jenny tentatively said, "He should be fine, other than of course having whatever it is that's in him, in him. The stuff I poured on the floor just keeps evil outside. It won't hurt him. Why did you let him get…contaminated anyway?" Jenny asked.

Dean was nearing the end of his temper, and snapped out "I didn't know he was "contaminated" and I don't think he realised it either. And trust me; your hoodoo crap has just about crippled him. Now I want you to come and make him better. I don't care what you do, just fix him!"

Jenny stamped her foot. "You're not listening to me. What I sprinkled wouldn't hurt him. All that was in it was some ground up salt, Myrrh, Oak, Saint John's Wart and Juniper. It don't hurt real people!"

"Then tell me why when Sam left here he was looking awful?" Jenny tried to cut in but Dean held up an admonishing finger "and then when he read a couple of lines from a bible he screamed and nearly passed out?"

"He did what?" Jenny exclaimed

"When Sam left here…,"

"NO" Jenny shouted interrupting Dean, "the bible, what did he do with the bible?"

Dean was starting to be seriously afraid for Sam now, but he answered "A friend of ours told Sam to read a passage from the bible to try to get rid of the voices, and Sam felt so awful when he got back to our motel that he decided to read it. He read like 2 lines and then he screamed and totally flipped out. He was in mega pain!"

Jenny looked at Dean in horror. "Where is Sam now?" She asked.

'I left him in the motel in a really deep sleep" Dean replied.

Jenny blanched. "Ok, we have to go and wake him, and he has to finish that reading"

Noticing Jenny's paleness Dean asked worriedly "What happens if Sam doesn't?"

"Look Dean, I'm sorry, but right now his mind is probably being torn apart and consummed by this thing... we've got to go NOW!"

Dean glared at Jenny and growled out again " What happens if Sam can't do the reading?"

Jenny looked sorrowfully at Dean "I'm sorry, but if Sam doesn't finish what he started, you will have to kill him."

Dean stared at Jenny in total horror as his world suddenly came crashing down around him. "But he is totally, utterly unconconscious... how can he read anything?"

* * *

Oh dear... a sorta cliffie...Hmmm, I'll try and remember to update tomorrow lol!!!! Hope it's still an ok story 


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: Just the usual... when I own it I will call you!

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY BROTHER?

_He was floating, totally relaxed, no tension, no pressures, and no awful world shattering pain. Just bliss, peace and quiet – or was there? He strained hearing the whispers, he knew them from before. No longer were they quiet and velvety, but now they were stronger, malicious and angry. The voices were coming closer, hissing and growling. He tried to back away, to hide somewhere safe, but he couldn't see anything, everything and everywhere was dark and black. He could feel the anger, the pain was over coming him again, building up, welling up, unbearable in intensity. He felt like every nerve was on fire, and yet still it built, growing from the ugly whispering by the angry voices. It grew and grew, he couldn't bear it, and he felt his mind slipping away from his grasp as the pain grew worse and worse…_

Dean unlocked the door of the motel room and walked straight over to where Sam lay twisting and turning, writhing on the bed. He was soaked in sweat, his face stretched taunt and bleached of colour. Jenny, having followed Dean across the room was trying to reconcile this sweat soaked wreck of a young man with the tired but alive young man who had tried to cross her herb protective-line on the floor of her shop. She deeply regretted her actions now, and wanted only to help Dean reclaim his brother from the evil that was contaminating him from within.

Tearing his eyes away from Sam, Dean asked Jenny in a voice that cracked with stress, "So what do we do for him? What is wrong with him?"

Jenny looked up at Dean and said "We try to help him first, then we talk – he is worse than I thought he would be." Jenny bit her lip and looked up with at Dean.

Dean nodded in agreement. Jenny opened her bag and brought out a container with a small amount of fine powder in it. She walked over to the kettle and picked up a cup. Jenny poured a small amount of water from the kettle into the cup, and then carried the cup back to the bedside cupboard. Carefully, Jenny measured out a small amount of powder and mixed it into the water, stirring anxiously, and waiting for all the powders to dissolve. Dean stood watching, and wondered what Jenny was doing.

"What is that stuff?" Dean asked

"We fix him first" Jenny answered nodding at Sam.

"Like hell we do" Dean said moving to stand in front of Sam and crossing his arms. "You tell me what that stuff is now, or you leave. No way are you giving Sam something I know nothing about. You said we would have to wake Sam up and he would have to finish reading the passage, you didn't mention drinking any brown stinking sewer water" Dean stood fixedly in front of Sam staring at Jenny.

Jenny hated wasting precious seconds, knowing what was happening to Sam, but she understood Dean's concern. She decided to answer his questions quickly and to the point.

"Sam is being possessed, by some God awful thing the name of which I don't know - why? I have no idea, but when he read the passage from the book, it would have made the thing inside him angry, extremely angry. I think" and here Jenny paused biting her lip in doubt again, "I think it's eating his mind away, the thing that is poossessing him. It's destroying his mind. If we don't wake Sam somehow, he will be lost to you forever, and totally possessed by whatever evil is in him. That's when you will have to kill him."

"Like hell will I kill my own brother!" Dean shouted.

Jenny stepped back from Dean's anger, but she softly added "Dean, I don't want Sam to die either, but if his mind get's eaten by this… this ... Thing, then that young man won't be Sam anymore. It will be evil, totally evil and it will come after you. And after it has possessed you, and eaten your mind, then it will come after me, and, and I'm really sorry but I can't let it do that."

Dean took a quick gulp of air but before he could snap back an angry reply, Jenny said "Let's just make darned sure it doesn't come to that ok?"

Dean breathed deeply several times, releasing as much anger as he could. This was no time to get angry.

"Ok," Dean said, "What do we do?"

Jenny replied "You have to get Sam to drink this, it's not a lot, but it will help him" I hope, she added silently in her own mind.

For one minute Jenny thought she had said the last bit out loud as Dean gave her a questioning look.

"You're sure this won't kill him?" Dean asked.

Jenny really didn't want to reply to that and she hesitated answering the question.

"Oh man," Dean grumbled "Sam, I _so_ swear if you die, I will resurrect your stiff little body and then I will kill you for putting me through this!"

So saying Dean carefully trickled the brown plant-like smelling liquid into Sam's mouth. True to her word, there wasn't much of Jenny's mixture in the cup, and Sam seemed to swallow it naturally. When Dean had finished pouring it in Sam's mouth he looked at Jenny. Jenny reached out and grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him none too gently away from Sam. Dean, seeing the fear written all over Jenny's face, felt his heart start pounding. Dean opened his mouth to ask Jenny a question, when Sam screamed the most inhuman scream Dean had ever heard. Sam turned his head to Dean and Dean realized that it was not Sam looking at him, but whatever entity that was possessing his brother's body.

"Sam" Dean urged "Fight the damn thing, c'mon man, I know you're in there, fight it!"

All Sam could feel was the terrible pain, feeling that nothing could never ever get worse. He had never felt pain like this, it was incredible. Then suddenly he smelt something. He knew that smell, but what was it? He sifted through his mind and realised that something was terribly wrong, something was blocking his mind – emptying (?) it. He couldn't find his memories, only blackness. The voices were louder, hissing and spitting at him. He felt something wet in his mouth and instinctively swallowed. He breathed out, relaxing slightly as the voices seemed to ebb and slip away. Then out of no-where, in a blaze of absolute agony, the blinding flash of new pain. It took his breath away, he couldn't breath. Without knowing it his body arched, taunt as a bow string…he felt like he was on fire. Then suddenly, his mind was floating free, pain free, off to the side, while he felt his body move, his head turn. With a horrified shudder, he realised that something possessed his body.

No, Sam thought, this is mine. The voices hissed louder, filling his skull with a mumbo jumbo non-melodic chant. Sam pushed with his mind and thought NO, firmer. The pain returned, violently. Then vaguely, through the dark pain filled recesses of his mind, he heard a voice, saying 'Sam, fight the damn thing, c'mon man, I know you're in there, fight it!" Suddenly Sam remembered the voice, and then came the smell from before. He grasped it with his entire mind…he knew it, it was Dean! Dean was telling him to fight, to claim back ownership of his body and mind. With that thought Sam threw his entire being into claiming back what was his.

For Dean and Jenny, Sam's battle was ugly and awful. They both desperately wanted to help Sam, but knew they couldn't. He was fighting an invader in his body, and the only one who could fight this battle would be Sam. The fight seemed to rage on forever, for Sam, for Dean and for Jenny.

Finally, after one last convulsive twisting wrench, Sam's head turned to look at Dean. Dean could see, with great relief, that it was his brother's soul which looked out from his eyes.

"Dean, they're still here, I don't think I can hold them off forever, but…" Sam gasped out.

Dean grabbed the bible from the table and shoved it into Sam's hands and brokenly said "Sammy just read. You have to finish reading the passage you started man, if you don't you die!!!"

Sam looked up at the anguish in Dean's voice and nodded acceptance.

Sam resolutely gripped the Holy book and started reading out loud. With each couple of words that Sam gasped out, so the entity inside fought. Its struggles got more and more frantic the further Sam read, knowing that it was going to lose possession of its vessel if it lost its perilous grip. The sweat poured off Sam, dripping off his face onto the page he was reading. Never in his life had a Psalm seemed to take so long to read. When it was finally over, Sam collapsed on the bed, gasping for breath, his body shaking. Jenny and Dean noticed a dark thin shadow that seemed to leach out of Sam's body. It started gliding across the bed covers, down the side of the bed, across the floor towards Jenny and Dean. Jenny had been expecting something to happen, but seeing this, this dark, slimy thing creeping towards them, she felt like vomiting. She lifted the lid of the pot she still grasped in her hand, and threw a large pinch of the powder over the shadow. An inhuman scream, that sent shivers up everyone's spine pealed out of the shadow's proximity as the dust made contact with it.

"Come on you creepy little maggot" Jenny muttered "I've got plenty more where that came from." Jenny shook out a bit more powder into the palm of her hand and blew into it, making if blow gently in the direction of the slinking shadow and watched as it slid up the wall and slid through the gap in the window. Dean yanked open the door and looked outside, but there was no evidence of anything unusual.

Dean closed the door and turned to talk to Jenny. Jenny however, was sliding down the wall crying and shaking. Dean, torn between who to see to first, made a move towards Jenny figuring she would be quickest to fix up. Jenny however, just waved Dean to move onto Sam.

Dean approached the bed and looked down at his brother.

"Sammy?" Dean said

Sam had covered his face with his arms and didn't reply.

"Sammy?" Dean asked again

With a deep sigh Sam replied "What?"

"Are you ok bro'?" Dean asked

"No Dean, not really" Sam answered.

Dean noticed Jenny approaching the bed. She had mostly stopped crying although tremors still ran through her hands and she still looked very pale.

"We need to take Sam back to my place for tonight Dean" Jenny said.

"What?" Dean queried "Why?"

"This place is not safe for Sam… he is open to be repossessed by that", Jenny gulped, "…that thing. I can give him something to help repel it, but I have to make it and the stuff for that is at my home."

Dean turned towards Sam and said "Sammy, can you get up?"

Sam listened to the conversation between Dean and Jenny, feeling like a piece of dirty used tissue. All he knew was how bone wrenchingly tired he was. He was not going to move anywhere for… forever. Most certainly he was not going to go to Her house. No way!

"Sam" Dean started to say, but Sam interrupted him.

"No" Sam snapped

"Sam," Dean said, slightly grumpy sounding

"NO Dean" Sam ground out," I am not going anywhere with Her, least of all to Her home"

"Sam" Dean positively growled, shocked when Sam cut into his speech again.

"Dean, which bit of NO do you NOT understand??? Man, I am NOT going, NO, no-way, nyet, jo, che, mam, Yox, enna, teo… No" Sam sighed deeply.

Jenny looked in awe at Sam and then looked at Dean. "Please tell me he doesn't know all those languages?" She asked Dean

"Nah, "Dean replied, "He learnt how to say no in like 520 different languages as a teenager, just to annoy our Dad," Dean laughed, "Boy, I remember that seriously annoyed dad when Sam started spouting off all those words"

Jenny looked back at Sam and realised Sam really meant what he said. There was no way he was coming back to her place, and although what had happened wasn't her fault exactly, she knew that her reaction to Sam was what had driven him to read the passage, resulting in the aggressive, dirty fight for Sam's mind.

Jenny approached the bed quietly, "Sam" Jenny began.

Sam didn't even remove his arm from over his eyes, but just answered "Go Away."  
Dean looked at Sam and then at Jenny.

Jenny reached down and touched Sam's arm. Sam's reaction shocked both Dean and Jenny. Sam's other hand came around and grabbed Jenny's arm in a death lock grip. Jenny gasped in pain.

"I said go away" Sam ground out, "Don't touch me, leave me alone and just get out" Sam continued, twisting and squeezing Jenny's wrist at the same time. Dean took one look at Jenny's pain filled face and stepped towards the bed to make Sam release her. At that moment they all heard the dull SNAP sound that originated beneath Sam's hand on Jenny's wrist. Jenny gasped, ashen faced, as she sank to her knees, her other hand scrambling to get Sam's finger uncurled off her arm.

"Sam" Dean shouted, wondering if Sam was entirely de-possessed.

Sam dropped Jenny's arm as if it burnt him. Sam sat up, shakily, and drew in a ragged breath. Swaying, he staggered to his feet and stumbled to the door, wrenching it open.

Dean looked at Jenny crumpled on the floor, pale and breathing in ragged pain filled breaths, and then at his brother – who was leaving the room. He shrugged his shoulders and growled, thinking about why things could never be easy.

Dean moved rapidly after Sam feeling quite angry… well alright he admitted to himself, very angry! He knew Sam would be angry with Jenny, but that gave the damned geek no reason to do what he had just done to her. Dean was brought up short when he walked into Sam, huddled in a heap against the wall just outside the door, in the full blazing sunlight.

Sam staggered up to the door and wrenched it open. He felt awful. Yeah he was angry at Her, but he had heard the dry SNAP sound, he knew he had broken a bone in her wrist. Sam was appalled at himself. When Jess was in his life, he would not have even dreamed of hurting a woman, now look what he had turned into. Staggering outside the door, Sam walked into the blazing white light of the sun. Sam froze, closing his eyes, and just feeling the heat of the sun on his skin, his face. Sam put out his hand and felt the wall; he leant his back against it, and slid down to sit in a huddled ball on the ground. The sun shone white through his closed eyes, warming his face, his hands, and his legs. He smelt a familiar smell, before he heard anything but he knew that smell, and Sam sighed deeply, regretfully at what he was going have to face in the next few moments.


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: Apart from the dog, a rabbit, the telly and an old car... I don't own nothing... when I do.. I'll call you

A/N: Thank you to Quick-demon for helping me come back on task, and get this chapter back on track.

* * *

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

REDEMPTION

"Sam?" Dean spoke "What the hell was that all about?"

"Dean, I …I really don't want to talk about it…ok?" Sam pleaded.

Dean hesitated and then a harsh look came over his face. "No Sam, I'm sorry dude, but I need to know what the hell you think you were doing? I need to know what the hell is going on in that freaky little head of yours man."  
Sam looked horrified as he realised that Dean was going to make him talk. He felt appalled at what he had done to Jenny, whether or not she deserved it, Sam knew it was wrong, and that he had reacted poorly. "I don't know Dean. It's like I just feel so tired, and angry. When I heard her voice,"

"Jenny's voice" Dean cut in abruptly

"What?" Sam asked looking up at Dean

"Her name is Jenny, Sam, not Her. She is the only reason that you are alive and have a brain or mind left. I would have just done the usual stuff Sam, and I think the usual cleansing ritual would have just enraged that... that Shadow thing, to totally possess your mind. It would have eaten your mind Sam, totally consumed you, until you would have been like a zombie man, and then you would have become their all-you-can-eat buffet." Dean looked pale as he considered what Sam's fate could have been. Sam swallowed, as nausea welled up within him, as he finally realised the ramifications of the ticking bomb he had been carrying around in his mind and body for the past three weeks. Sam scrubbed his face with his hand, realising as he did, what that hand had so recently done.

Sam looked up at Dean and sadly asked "How do I even start to make things right with He… Jenny?"

Dean looked ruefully down at his brother, knowing that for the next few weeks he would have to put up with Sam's brooding and sad looks while he worked out the implications and allocated himself all the blame.

"Sam, if you got to blame something, then blame that evil slimy shadow merchant, who possessed you. This isn't your fault, none of it is. I should have realised what was going on when you said about the voices, or I should have asked what was wrong earlier when I first realised something wasn't right with you. If you have to blame someone Sam, blame me." Dean uttered softly.

Sam looked sorrowfully at Sam "Dean, I couldn't blame you; none of this was your fault man."

"Then don't blame yourself Sam, just put it all behind us and move on. We need to see to Jenny and move away from here and get your sorry looking butt somewhere else so that Shadow thing can't get into you again; and from what Jenny said, that would be her place." Dean looked questioningly at Sam. Sam nodded in agreement and started to push himself up. Dean reached down and offered his hand to help Sam up. Sam grasped Dean's hand tightly and said "Thanks bro'," as Dean hauled Sam's long body upright.

"Man, you need to eat less crap Sam, your beginning to feel like a damn whale, man." Dean quipped lightly back. Sam went to argue back about Dean's less than wholesome diet and then saw the smirk on Dean's face. Sam smiled as he realised Dean's remark was just his way of avoiding any emotional outpouring that Sam might to do.

Together the brothers turned and entered the hotel room, to fix up the other member of their rescue squad.

The noise of the Impala's engine abruptly ended as Dean turned off the ignition, after pulling into the driveway of Jenny's home. As one they both turned to look at Jenny who was sitting slumped in the back seat gripping her left arm to chest, looking sleepy as she battled against the pain tablet Dean had forced on her at the motel.

Realising the boys were both looking at her, Jenny opened her bleary eyes further and asked "What?"

Dean pointed ahead and asked, "This it?"

"Yeah,"

Dean and Sam shrugged and reached out to open doors. Sam reached back and opened Jenny's door for her. Dean by this time was around at her door, and holding out a steadying hand out to her. Jenny took it and let Dean pull her up and out of the car. As she stood there getting her breath the front door to the house opened and several young men walked out, followed by a ...a…. miniature pony?

Sam looked at the animal bounding down to them trying to dazedly understand how a miniature horse could bark. Dean was silently measuring up the distance back into the car. Then the creature was upon them jumping up and slobbering all over Jenny. Jenny staggered back under the great weight of the dog. Dean put out an arm instinctively to brace Jenny, to stop her from falling back into the car; the dog dropeed to the ground,turned and growled at Dean. It took one, and then another, threatening step towards Dean, still drooling slightly at the corner of its mouth. Dean wondered if this was to be his last moment on the earth before ending up as an item on the dog's lunch menu.

"Don't mind Tigger," laughed one of the young men "He won't really bite you."

Yeahhh riigghhttt, was Dean's thought, I wonder if I can get that testimonial in writing?

"Tigger!" Jenny snapped out. "Stop it, you bad boy, scaring Dean, bad boy", and saying that she smacked the growling drooling dog on the backside. The dog immediately lay down, rolled over and showed Jenny his tummy, whining in sadness.

"You idiot dog," muttered the second of the young men.

Jenny sagged back against Dean's arm, the pain and stress of the day making her legs feel shaky.

The oldest of the three young men took one look at Jenny and said "Everyone inside. Matt, go get the first aid kit, Mael, get the kettle on for some coffee and call the others to the table. We seem to have a problem here." Turning he put his arm around Jenny, nodded to Sam and Dean, and set off up the path and into the house.

Dean and Sam debated whether they should wait outside or follow everyone inside the house. The dog made the decision for them, standing and staring at them, growling as they moved slightly towards the car. The brother's looked at each and shrugged, then started moving towards the house. The dog wagged his tail and trotted along at their side as they walked hurriedly to catch up with the others.

A short while later Sam was looking around the large table that he and Dean were seated at, relaxing with Jenny's brother's over a good cup of coffee. Matt had just finished fixing Jenny's broken wrist and it was now snug in a sling after being splinted and bandaged. Sam was still battling with the names of all Jenny's family. He had worked out that there was Josh, who was 30, and like Dean, seemed to be the leader of the family. Then there was Matt who was 25 and then Mael, who like Sam, was 23. Jenny was the only girl and was 26. Lastly there was another younger brother, Stevie, who was 18, and had yet to say a word. Neither parents seemed to be around, but Sam didn't think this was the appropriate time to ask about them. His attention was drawn back to the tale that Dean was telling, - their life - of the last three weeks. Sam felt his face blushing as he realised how awful he was going to sound in Dean's tale, especially when it came to the breaking of Jenny's wrist. Sam waited, dreading everyone's reaction. Instead of harsh critical words, there was silence. Looking up, Sam saw that instead of the family looking at him, they were looking at one of their own, the youngest of the brothers.

Josh looked back at the younger boy and asked tentatively "Stevie?"

Stevie looked at Josh, stood up, shrugged his shoulders and left the room.

Josh sighed, looked over at Matt, Mael and Jenny, silently checking each reaction. Getting affirming nods, Josh leant forward and looked intently at Dean and Sam.

"We will not attach any blame to Sam for what he did to Jenny. You see, we have already met the Shadow people before. Stevie met the shadow people," and then Josh turned his dark unhappy eyes on Sam, "only he didn't get away as lightly as you did Sam."

Sam wasn't feeling that lucky at the moment, his head was pounding, his stomach was rolling, his vision kept blurring and he was trying desperately to hold himself together, so he could follow what was being said and discussed at the table.

Despite what Josh had just said about giving Sam no blame in the breaking of Jenny's wrist, Sam knew better. It was all his fault, he had lashed out at her, just because he had had a bad day, and that was not a good reason. Dammit, Sam thought, they had been doing this job for like forever; he should be better able to control his temper and reactions than just lashing out like some 10 year old child. Sam lifted shaking hands to his head and leant upon them. Man, he felt like total crap. After all this time, all these weird manifestations that they had come across, Sam knew he should have realised what the voices were – not necessarily their specific title, but at least he should have recognised what they were doing to him. He had slipped up again, being what his dad had so often reminded him he was…a total waste of space. A good for nothing… when his dad had told him to go and not come back, he should have stayed gone - not come back and endangered everyone in his vicinity with his total incompetence and negligent ways.

Sam's heart jumped when a hand came down on his shoulder and he became aware of someone snapping their fingers in his face.

"Hey Sam, you in there man? Sammy?" Dean's voice and Dean's smell brought Sam back to the present. He blearily lifted his head off his hands and blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes of the weird blank spots that were growing in his vision. Sam felt someone sit down on his other side, and place a claming hand on his shoulder.

"Here Sam, drink this" Jenny said placing a cup of amber liquid in his hands. Sam looked at Dean, no longer trusting his own judgement. Dean looked at Jenny over the top of Sam's bowed head.

"It has got crushed thistle, Anise, Oak and some codeine in" Jenny answered Dean's unspoken question.

"Drink up Sam" Dean encouraged, nodding at Jenny in thanks.

Sam tasted the drink carefully and found it cool enough to drink right away. He screwed his face up in objection to the taste.

Dean saw this and opened his mouth to tell Sam to just drink the darned drink. Jenny butted in ahead of Dean though, and said to Sam,

"Sam, all the herbs in this drink are either for healing or protection against the evil in the supernatural world. I grow these herbs myself, watering them daily with holy water and as i do that I pray prayers of God's protection, blessings and healing over them. That's all – I am not a witch who uses herbs and spirits for spells. Anything supernatural in these herbs comes solely from God. That is it."

While Jenny was talking in a calming quiet voice to Sam, Sam had been taking small sips of the tea. He thought that although it was not his most favourite drink in the world, it certainly made him feel better. Dean and the others talked quietly, making a quiet background buzz in Sam's mind, almost like… Sam's mind shied away from the soft velvety whispers that had so recently resided in his mind. As he finished the drink, Sam realised that all conversation had stopped. Looking up he found all eyes were on him, and he blushed.

It's ok Sam," Jenny laid a calming hand on Sam's shoulder as she was sitting down. Sam hadn't even felt her get up and move off, man he was getting dreamy. He had to start looking sharp, however, when he attempted to pull his mind into focus, he realised just how totally exhausted he felt.

"Mael can you come and help me with this please?" Jenny asked her younger brother.

Meal got up and sat on the chair next to Jenny. As everyone settled down and Jenny and Mael started to work on whatever it was that Jenny was doing, Josh cleared his throat. Sam looked across to Josh and found Josh looking intently back at Sam.

"Normally I would wait until you started feeling a bit better Sam, or had a chance to rest up a bit, however, after speaking to Dean, I think it's better that we all have this talk now."

Sam turned to look at his brother, glaring. Dean had talked to Josh about him? When? What had he said?

"Relax dude," Dean cautioned Sam "Just listen."

Sam sighed, like he had any strength left for doing anything else?

Sam again turned his attention back to Josh, finding him smiling slightly at him.

"Man, younger brothers never change do they?" Josh asked Dean, "Always assuming they should be infallible and totally right all the time!"

Dean laughed out loud, "Now that comes from someone with sound on the job experience" Dean answered.

"Hey!" Sam, Mael and Matt protested all at the same time.

"Okay, guys lets get back on track here" Jenny's voice interrupted.

Josh looked at his sister, knowing how painful this next bit was going to be for her. Jenny looked back at Josh and nodded, swallowing and sighing deeply.

"Ok, Sam and Dean, I'm guessing you're both wondering why we don't blame Sam for any of this crap that happened? Well, you see guys we have had upfront, deep and personal contact with those evil Satan shepherds, and we know how they make their victim do stuff they don't want to. We know what they did, and made, Stevie do." A stillness that was unbroken descended upon all those sitting around the table. Josh took a breath, and carried on with his story.

"Our family has always been different to other families. As kids we knew stuff other kids didn't, we knew about the dangers of the world from an early age, because our dad came from a long line of hunter families. Mum also came from a family of hunters, but she hated leaving us kids behind, so early on Mum and Dad made a pact, Dad would hunt, and mum would stay home, keep house, make amulets and protective and healing potions for other hunters, and look after us kids. You guys know what that life is like. We salted doors, carved protection spells all over the house, never ever went anywhere by our selves… you know the drill I'm sure."

Sam and Dean both nodded. Although they had not had a mother or a permanent home, the story was similar enough for them to relate to.

"Then one day Dad didn't come home. I was 23 at the time and worried as all hell. I was supposed to have gone with Dad for this hunt, but in our last hunt I had been clawed by a werewolf, and the wound had become infected and was taking a while to clear up, so Dad decided to do this hunt on his own. When he didn't show up or ring like he was supposed to, we knew he was in trouble. So mum, Matt and I loaded the car up and went off after him. He had gone after the Shadow people in the forest. We tracked him up into the forest, but then we lost his tracks, they just totally disappeared. Man, that forest was totally freaky man," Josh shuddered involuntarily at the thought but carried on speaking "it was so like a mausoleum. It was so quiet, not a freaking noise anywhere. No rustling leaves, no animals skittering, nuthin'. We searched for awhile but found not a single clue that would tell us what had happened to dad. We came home, had to practically drag mum away. She kept on saying we had to keep on looking, but it was getting dark, and there was no way I was going to stay out there at night. We eventually made it back home, the younger guys went to bed but I kept a vigil with mum and Jenny, praying that Dad would be okay." Josh stopped, and closed his eyes. He seemed to gather himself up for the next bit of his story. Matt put his hand of Josh's shoulder, an action so incredibly familiar to Sam that he double checked that he and Dean were still sitting where they were. Apparently some things were common to brother's the world over.

Josh smiled at Matt and took a deep breath. Matt took his hand away, and Josh resumed speaking.

"I spent the next day trying to find out from other hunters what might have happened to dad, or where he might have possibly gone to. No one knew anything though. The days passed us by and mum withdrew more and more into herself. She would spend hours staring out the window withdrawing into a place that only she knew. It was no surprise then one day about 4 weeks after dad had disappeared that Jenny rang me. Mum had gone. Just taken the car, and driven off. I came home, we all got into my car and we went back to the place where dad had disappeared. Mum's car was there but again we could find nuthin of her. Her tracks disappeared too. Looking back on that day, I realise how stupid I was to take everyone out there. It was late afternoon by the time we had got there, and the evening shadows were growing. A chill and deathly hush seemed to surround us by the time I realised we were in danger. I got everyone into the car, except for Stevie who was still calling for mum. He was only 11 at the time and just didn't seem to be able to realise the danger we were in. I got out the car to grab him, when I saw it." Josh paused, looking like he was about to throw up all over the table, "This thing…" Josh didn't seem to be able to go on, breathing deeply and raggedly.

Dean spoke up, "Dark, slimy thing, slides along the ground towards its next victim? Makes you fell like barfing just looking at it?"

"You've seen it?" Josh asked, shuddering.

"Oh yeah, up close and personal man, and I so never ever want that to happen ever again" Dean answered, releasing his own shudder.

Josh nodded at Dean, sighed again, a deep rib breaking sigh, and then spoke.

"Well, this black evil sucker flowed over to Stevie and seemed to ... to disappear into to him. I ran over and picked him up, he fought me like a man possessed… which I guess he was. But I had lost enough of my family to those evil things, and no way were they having my kid brother. I clocked him one, damn near broke my hand, and shoved him in to Matt's arms to hold. We got him home, and when he came around he seemed okay… for a while. A bit distant perhaps, looked real tired but," Josh shrugged at the memories "We were all so tired in those days. We had lost Dad and mum, we were struggling to cope with our own losses, and Stevie's reaction seemed understandable. I managed to persuade myself that I had just imagined the evil dark shadow that melted into him. We tried to get on with life. After about 3 weeks we noticed that Stevie was really not getting any better, in fact he was getting worse. He would spend hours each day outside, it seemed like coming into the house pained him. He wouldn't eat or drink anything we made here; he went down hill so fast." In the silence everyone could hear Jenny's muffled sobs.

"I'm sorry" Jenny choked out, trying to stand up and leave from the group of young men.

Sam reached out to her, putting his arm across her shoulder "Shh Jenny, its okay. It's okay to cry, honest"

Jenny started crying as if her heart would break, tears flowing freely down her face, dripping off her nose onto the table. She desperately hid her face in her hands and tried to stop crying. She so hated crying. She knew that tears made all the young men around her uncomfortable, but she just couldn't stop the flow. She felt her chair being moved, and she felt Sam pull her further over so she could lean on his shoulder while he stroked her arm.

"Shh, it's okay Jenny, Shh its okay." This was all the litany that Jenny heard, over and over. It was strangely calming and she felt herself calming down and the tears soon easing.

Josh nodded his thanks to Sam; and took a breath to continue the story.

"So, to cut a long and painful story short, we realised that Stevie was possessed. We tried lots of different things, but nothing worked. In fact, some things seemed to make the thing inside Stevie even angrier. We were reaching the end of our own minds when Jenny had an idea. She had helped mum out for years with making the amulets and healing powders for other hunters. She researched the herbs and we tried the tea, that I understand she gave you Sam, to get rid of the damned thing that was possessing Stevie. Well, that and several other things finally worked and the Shadow thing finally left Stevie. I dunno where it went, but it physically left this house.

The damage it did to my brother though was terrible. Stevie has never spoken since that awful time. He is a different person to the vivacious and happy boy who used to live here. He draws these weird pictures, sits in the sun and prefers his own company to that of us. He lives with us, but he isn't emotionally here with us. I'm not sure that he ever will be. While he was possessed, that thing did and said things to us, violent awful things. We never really sat and counted the broken bones and stitches we all received, but it was a dreadful pain filled time. When we had got the thing out of Stevie, we all had to heal."

Here, Josh paused to look deliberately and with deep sympathy into Sam's eyes. "Sam, what you did to Jenny is not your fault. Please don't carry this around with you, forever castigating yourself about what you did to her. If you do that, you hand a victory over to the evil slime balls, and you lessen yourself. You are all the family that Dean has; you are an asset to the hunter world and you have a deep, deep well of compassion within you. Don't let that thing change who you are Sam. You are a good man."

Saying this Josh broke eye contact with Sam and sat back in his chair.

Everyone else sat back and the tension broke around the table.


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER : If I ever got to own them...sigghhh... it would be soo nice, but I would share with you!!

A/N: Sorry about the delay but we have had awful muggy weather with thunder storms. I actually get migraines and headaches from hell through these, so I have been struggling with writng and updating. Hopefully the weather will improve!

* * *

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

AMULETS, PLANS AND TINKERBELLE DUST

Sam was so tired, he felt like he could sleep for a year, but after laying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, he realised he would not be getting some sleep anytime soon. He sat up and sighed, tiredly rubbing his eyes. He thought back to the conversation around the table and what Josh had said to him.

"_It's not your fault- don't carry this around with you, forever castigating yourself about what you did to her. If you do that, you hand a victory over to the evil slime balls, and you lessen yourself. You are all the family that Dean has; you are an asset to the hunter world and you have a deep, deep well of compassion within you. Don't let that thing change who you are Sam. You are a good man."_

Sam felt embarrassed about Josh's statement. Neither Sam nor Dean was used to getting that kind of encouragement in their lives, and as a result both were ill-at-ease with praise. Feeling uncomfortable with his thoughts, Sam got up and decided to find Dean and see what he was doing.

The first people Sam chanced to see were Jenny and Mael, who were preparing an early dinner for everyone. Sam was embarrassed when his stomach gave a particularly loud growl, emphatically stating its hunger for the entire world to hear. Jenny looked up and laughed, as did Mael.

Passing Sam a carrot, Mael said "Here Sam, chomp on this for a bit till dinner is done, man, you sound starved!" Sam blushed red and accepted the carrot, deciding that he was starved, and ate it happily. Watching the pair cook, Sam realised that all the water they used for cooking came out of a separate container, not the tap.

Sam wondered about this and asked "Have a problem with your water supply?"

Mael looked at Sam, saw where Sam was looking and replied, "Nope, we use holy water for pretty everything that needs any type of water, that ends up inside our bodies. Mum started using it when she first had us kids. She knew the dangers that dad could be bringing home something nasty, and she tried to avoid us being contaminated by anything."

Sam suddenly understood Stevie's aversion to eating or drinking anything home made during his time of being possessed. The Shadow thing would have objected violently to living in a body fuelled by that sort of thing. Sam also realised how lonely, sick and disgusting Stevie must have felt during that time. Sam felt that being possessed for some 3 weeks was bad enough, but upon reflecting on Stevie's time, Sam realised how really terrible it would have been for Stevie. At least Sam had understood, in the end, what was happening to him, but Sam felt his heart go out to the young man who at 11, had lived for quite a while longer than Sam had, being possessed, and knowing the damage he was doing to his brother's and sister. Sam wasn't surprised that Stevie didn't talk. He thought to himself, what could Stevie say, knowing the hell and hurt he had put his siblings through all that time?

Sam wandered off, pausing on seeing Stevie working on a laptop in the dining room. Stevie looked up on hearing Sam pause in the doorway. Sam felt drawn to Stevie and wondered if he could sit and spend some time with the young man.

"Can I come in?" Sam asked Stevie.

Stevie frowned, but grudgingly nodded agreement. Sam moved to the table looking over Stevie's shoulder, to see what he was doing. Sam felt his jaw dropping down. On the screen of the computer was a picture of Dean… a very different looking picture of Dean, but totally recognizable as him.

"Man, "Sam said to Stevie, "Did you draw this?"

Stevie nodded yes and Sam asked "How, and what is it? I mean I can see its Dean, but it's not your standard pencil portrait"

Stevie looked at Sam, as if trying to decide if Sam was finding fault with his drawing.

Sam realising that his comments could be taken the wrong way, tried to help Stevie understand that he didn't find the picture awful… just different.

Sam saw a pencil and hunted down a piece of paper out of his wallet. He spent several minutes carefully sketching Stevie. When he had finished, he showed Stevie the result. Stevie's jaw dropped. Sam shrugged, took the picture back and screwed it up. "I can't draw at all man; I'm totally useless at it! So anything you do is miles better than mine."

Stevie retrieved the screwed up piece of paper and flattened it out. He looked again incredulously at the picture and then at Sam.

Sam reassured Stevie, "Hey I'm not lying man, I like totally suck at drawing. I even failed kindy art at school!"

To Sam's amazement, Stevie laughed and laughed – all in silence. Every time Sam thought Stevie was calming down, Stevie would look at the piece of paper and burst forth again in silent hearty laughter. Finally wiping tears off his face, Stevie wrote "hey it's not so bad… for a two year old!" underneath Sam's stick figure drawing of a man with a tie around his neck. Stevie pulled out a chair and indicated to Sam that he could sit next to him.

Sam took the picture and balled it up again and threw it into the rubbish bin in the corner of the room. Sam grimaced and said "Well, we can't all be Picasso's or Da Vinci's! So what is this stuff your doing?" Stevie held up his finger, and spent a few seconds typing on the keyboard, and then showed Sam a website called "DeviantART. Sam and Stevie remained in deep "discussion" for the next hour until dinner was ready, with Sam learning all about the world of Anime art.

Finally, Sam became aware of Josh standing at his shoulder. Sam looked up and saw the surprise all over Josh's face. Josh looked in surprise at Stevie and said "Stevie, why haven't you ever showed any of us that stuff? Man that is really neat!" Stevie shrugged awkwardly.

Josh, still looking at the computer screen, asked Stevie "Will you show me what you are doing later?"

Sam looked at Stevie's face and saw a mixture of emotions play over it. Stevie nodded yes to Josh. Josh grinned. "Ok, now guys, you gotta come for dinner, Jen will skin you two alive if you keep her waiting much longer!"

Sam and Stevie looked at Josh in puzzlement, Josh laughed at their faces. "We have called you guys about ten times for dinner, that's why I came in and interrupted you two - talk about concentration!"

Following Josh outside, Sam realised they were eating at the outdoors table and chairs. Sam went to the empty place next to Dean and sat down.

"Now that we are all here" Jenny said in a determined and slightly grumpy voice, "who's going to say Grace?"

Everyone looked down at their plates, hoping to avoid this being their turn, to say the meal blessing. Finally, after an interval of silence, Sam heard Matt sigh and say "Okay, okay I will do it, seeing as everyone else is too chicken!"

As Matt said the blessing over the meal and the people sitting around the table, Sam realised there was a length of leather thronging laying over his knife and fork. When Matt finally finished the blessing, Sam picked up the thong. On looking closer Sam saw that the thong was in fact an intensively hand crafted work of art. It consisted of several lengths of leather thronging, woven together into a long strip. Into places along the length were small silver tablets with engraved signs on it. Sam looked up at Jenny and she smiled. Speaking across Stevie, who had sat down next to Sam, Jenny said, "Mael helped me make this amulet Sam. It is quite intricate and each tablet has a significant meaning to it. For instance engraved on one tablet, is a picture of an Irish Shamrock. The three leaves of this plant symbolises the Christian trinity of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Another tablet has the cross engraved on it, symbolising the sacrifice and redemption of Christ's act. Other tablets also bear such symbolic engravings. The leather thongs themselves are cured in a pot containing a concoction of holy water, Anise, Basil, Dill, Juniper, Myrrh, Oak and St John's Wart. All of these are to provide you with protection against the Supernatural world Sam." Sam looked down at the amulet and fingered each tablet with his fingers.

Jenny went on, "I have tried to make it as sturdy as possible Sam, but if it breaks or shows signs of wear come and visit us again and I will repair it for you."

"I don't know what to say," Sam stuttered "It's magnificent, but Jenny…"

"It's okay Sam," Jenny butted in, "God knows that you are unsure about him, and I'm sure he doesn't mind."

Stevie reached over and tugged gently on the amulet, looking up into Sam's face with a questioning look on his face. Sam let go of the amulet and watched how Stevie held

it and stroked the silver tablets. Sam saw a lot of tension go out of Stevie's body just holding the amulet.

"Jenny?" Sam asked, "What does this amulet do?"

Jenny glanced puzzled in Sam's direction, "it provides you with protection against the supernatural world Sam."

"So," Sam queried," It stops me being possessed by just about anything?"

"Well, I hope so," Jenny answered, "I have tried to cover as many bases as I can."

Sam looked at Jenny and then at Stevie, still holding on to the amulet. Understanding dawned in Jenny's eyes. "Stevie, would you like me to make you an amulet too? Just like Sam's?"

Stevie looked at Jenny, his eyes wide and shining. Suddenly, Stevie leant over and hugged Jenny. Somehow, Sam thought, I think Stevie will come back whole someday.

Everyone finished their meal, all feeling very relaxed and comfortable with each others company. Everyone avoided talking about the Shadow people, each knowing that the hunt would soon be upon them, but each unwilling to break the camaraderie around the table just yet. When everyone had finished their meals, they all collected their plates and took them inside. Matt and Josh put them all in the dishwasher to be cleaned. Jenny and Dean organised coffee for everyone and then everyone settled around the table to discuss how to go about getting rid of the Shadow people… once and for all.

With everyone putting forward different points of view about how to get rid of these things, Sam realised they were going to have a problem. There were several different ideas floating around, all of which were good but chaos was threatening to destroy the cohesiveness that needed to be brought to the hunt. Sam looked at Dean and Dean nodded back.

Dean took a breath and spoke out loudly, "Okay everyone, simmer down" Everyone looked at Dean, nearly all in surprise. "Okay these things are tricky evil slime balls and we need to have a plan that is tight, okay? It needs to be perfect guys, because if these suckers get in even one of us, we are all screwed in a major way!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Okay," Dean carried on, "How about, um, Jenny, can we each have some sort of protective amulet like Sam's?"

Jenny looked stunned "But Dean" Jenny interrupted "Sam's took hours upon hours to make, it just isn't realistic for me to try to make 6, and I will slip up and make mistakes."

"Can't you make a mini amulet, not as intensive as Sam's?" Dean asked, "Maybe just one protecting us against possession?"

Jenny narrowed her eyes thinking intently, "yeah, I could manage that" she answered. "I really could use some help though."

Stevie placed his arm on Jenny's shoulder, and looked at her.

"You want to help me Stevie?" Jenny asked sounding surprised.

Stevie nodded empathically.

"Okay, be good to have your help then, thanks," Jenny answered, smiling at her younger brother.

Sam brought up a point "I was wondering…" he began slightly unsure whether to speak or not. Dean and Josh both nodded that Sam should continue, Dean making Hurry up motions with his hands,

"Well, in my dreams I heard this mumbo jumbo un-melodic chanting they were doing. I was wondering if I could find a chant that I could say, that would undo their mumbo jumbo."

"That's a good idea" Josh said, echoed by Mael, Matt and Dean.

"Okay," Dean summarised, "Jenny is doing protective amulets for us, Sam is doing a un-chant for us, what else do we need?"  
Jenny tentatively spoke up "Um... well… I know I'm not a hunter but well…" Dean sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Jenny, listen to me," Dean said authoritatively "In my books there are two kinds of people. Us and them. Us are all the hunters, researchers, protectors, medics, anyone who knows a damn about the evil we fight. Okay?" Dean lifted an eyebrow at Jenny, who nodded back. "The them people are the ones that we protect, the people who have the normal lives, who know absolutely nuthin' about what hides in the dark of the night. If you are one of US, then you have as much right to speak out as Josh, Matt or myself, as much right as any of us around this table to speak out. Okay?"

Jenny nodded, accepting Dean's approval with relief.

"Okay then, "Jenny said less nervously, "I was thinking when that Shadow thing came out of Sam in your motel room. You remember its reaction to the dust I sprinkled over it? It didn't seem to like that one bit… in fact I thought it was repelled by it actually."

Dean thought back to the inhuman scream that the thing had in fact emitted and grinned, saying "You know Jenny I think you're right, it didn't just dislike it, I think it really hurt the dirty slime ball!"

"So, "Dean reiterated again, "Sam un-chanting, Jenny amulets, who will do the Tinkerbelle thing and sprinkle the magic dust?" Dean got several offers of help from the guys and nodded at each of them.

Dean's comment brought a relaxing in the built up tension around the table as well as a small chuckle from all the participants.

"Okay then," Dean continued, "Tomorrow we research, make amulets and prepare the pixie dust and then the day after we go and hunt!"

"Aww," Mael butted in, "Can't we start tonight and then go after the suckers tomorrow?"

Josh overrode Mael "Nope, guys, Dean is right. We need to make sure every thing is prepared thoroughly tomorrow and that we are all well rested. These things are slippery at the best of times; I sure as heck do not want to go up against them with tired or ill prepared troops behind me! We prepare tomorrow and hunt the day after."

Everyone leaned back and looked around the table. Sam wondered if everyone was thinking what he was thinking… the hunt was coming!

* * *

A/N #1: Some Christian groups in distant parts of the world do actually use Holy water to cook with. Some people also have a special drink of it first thing in the morning.

A/N #2: I have used "God Stuff" and the herbs as an weapon for this family, simply because I didn't want Jenny to be racing around the country side slicing and dicing evil critters. Using the "Good vs Evil" type of thing in this way, allows Jenny to be a protector of the hunters without deserting her post of keeping the family together.


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: When I own something... I'll ring!

A/N : Sorry about the delay, but I have had serious issues to deal with, leaving me with migraine after migraine and... yep, another migraine! However.. "The Hunt" is being written even as we speak.. so... please bear with me! Thanks for reading.

* * *

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

DAY OF PREPARATION

_Dean screamed and jerked upright, in a reflex reaction to the sudden overwhelming pain in his back. The dark shadow melted away to rejoin the other dark shadows of the forest. This shadow was different, thicker, the darkness not so evenly scattered over the shadow shape. Then Sam's voice was heard yelling, coming closer and closer. Dean tried to answer but his breath came in ragged pants as he sank slowly to his knees. He turned his face to where the thick shadow shape had disappeared and recognition of the face partially hidden in the shadows carved its features on his face. Then the world tilted as he collapsed into a heap on the leaf litter of the forest floor. The dark shadows hissed with glee, and the tension returned to the forest shadows, as they waited for the other man-thing to come. Then they could have a feast, the like of which they hadn't had in too long. The dark shadow tensed as the tall man-thing appeared. Then it hissed, hearing other man-things coming. It looked at the long shiny thing held across the man-thing arms. The shadow creature knew from past experience, the pain these things could cause. It began planning and thinking, of ways for them to have as many man-things at the feast as it could. It withdrew further into the shadows, and began waiting for the right time, and then there would be a feast, the like of which had never been seen before. It did a little hissy noise, much like a breathless giggle, as it drooled in anticipation of the wondrous flavours and aromas to come. Then it stiffened, it smelt the air, and smelt again. Then it quivered. The little ones!!! The Shadow recognized the smell. It was a rare chance to actually acquire one of the little man-things. These little man-things looked different to big man things, they were easier to kill, but made noises that hurt the shadow creature's ears. However, the pain was worth it in the end. Drooling even more, the Shadow waited for all the man-things to come and find out who and what had happened to this useless man-thing before them. Watching, waiting for this one's life force to ebb away and the shock of how he came to die would make all the other man-things so much easier to kill, especially the little-man thing. Mmmmm, the Shadow murmured liquidly at the thought of the soft succulent flesh, the moistness, the feast would be good tonight._

Sam jerked upright with a horrified yell. Dean was shaking him by the shoulder "C'mon man, wake up"

Sam looked at Dean, seeing the anxiety on Dean's face, by the light coming in the window.

"Sorry Dean,' Sam said wiping his sweaty face off with his sheet.

"Just another nightmare Sammy?" Dean asked casually

Sam looked up at Dean thinking damn, Dean already knew what it was. Sam rolled his eyes.

Dean thumped Sam on the arm, "Dude I saw that! So I'm guessing it wasn't just any old dream then?"

"Dean," Sam grumbled, "If you already know what this dream is about, then why are you bugging me about it?"

"Hey man, it wasn't me who woke up half the house screaming cos some monster was coming for him"

Sam was getting exasperated now "Hey, that's unfair I didn't wake up half the house,"

"Of course not Sammy," Dean cut into Sam's protest "Just… let me see, one, two three four, five… so that's what… hmmm, five sevenths of a household?'

Sam's eyes widened in horror as he looked toward the doorway, following Dean's gaze. "Oh Dude!" Sam exclaimed, "Guys I'm so sorry, I never meant to wake you all up!" Sam spluttered in embarrassment, seeing everyone but Stevie in the doorway looking at him.

"Sam, chill, it's cool dude," Josh answered, "You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Josh, I just, um" Sam was obviously embarrassed.

Matt smiled, "Sam being in this family and doing the job we do, seeing the horrors we see on a daily basis, we learn that sometimes we have to admit to our human weaknesses sometimes. We have to admit that we are not made out of steel, cold and unfeeling; it's routine around here to be woken in the middle of the night because someone has had a nightmare, or because some one is afraid. Dude, we are only human, so as Josh said, Chill, okay?"

"Thanks guys," Sam muttered feeling better, knowing that the family wouldn't hold his nightmares against him.

"See you all in the morning" Josh called as he wandered away, with the others following, calling out good-nights to all and sundry. Soon it was just Sam and Dean left in the room.

Dean said "You know Sammy, when we go out there tomorrow; we are so going to kill these things. Those dreams are not going to become true dude, you just see."

"But Dean," Sam interrupted, "How can you be so sure?"

"Easy man," Dean replied with a smug smile on his face, "I'm the eldest, so I'm always right."

Sam looked doubtfully at Dean and said "Hey, I think there is hole in your logic there man,"

To which Dean replied with a wicked snort, "Prove it little brother!" Looking at Sam Dean asked "we good now bro'?"

Sam nodded, and said "yep, thanks Dean"

Dean answered, "No problems little brother, that's what I'm here for!"

Sam and Dean both climbed into their beds and soon Sam heard Dean's deep breathing, meaning he was fast asleep. Sam climbed cautiously out of bed, knowing sleep would not come anytime soon. He wandered downstairs and made a cup of coffee. He then moved into the lounge and sat down in front of the floor length window and watched the night ebb and wane.

Dean woke early and glanced across to Sam's bed, finding it empty. Dean immediately went into "Protective Big Brother Mode" and checked his watch. Hmmm, it was only 5.30 a.m, where on earth could Sam be this early? Quietly going down stairs Dean heard quiet voices and followed the sound. He saw Sam and Stevie sitting stooped over Stevie's laptop. Dean shrugged and walked back up to bed. Man, he was so not an early morning person!

Dean finally roused and looked at his watch. Man, Sam would not let him live this down! 11 a.m. Dean remembered Sam's nightmare from the night before, and made a mental note to check on his younger brother later. On those thoughts, Dean got out of bed and ambled down the hall and into the shower, taking his time, knowing the water supply to be hot and unlimited. Some thirty minutes later, Dean made his way downstairs; hearing and smelling different sounds and smells that told him the others were already making inroads on the necessary preparations for the hunt the following day.

Dean approached the dining room hearing Sam's voice. What the heck was Sam saying though? Dean listened more carefully and found that he could understand some of what Sam was saying.

"…tuis serviens, ad abigendos daemones morbosque pellendos divinea..." Aah thought Dean ,as he walked into the room, Latin.

Sam stopped speaking and looked at Dean.

Dean looked back and smiled, "Morning Sammy," Dean said to Sam

"Morning? Dude, it's nearly afternoon! Sleep enough?" Sam teased his older brother.

"Sam. Some of us need our beauty sleep uninterrupted you know man" Dean said in reply to Sam's implied criticism.

Sam blushed red at the reminder of his waking just about the entire household late last night. He knew that everyone understood, but Sam hateds making a fuss. Dean, knowing what was going through his brother's head at that moment, chuckled. Sam feeling all embarrassed was not a Sam that was going to pick on him because he over slept. Man, Dean thought, he was so good!!!

"So Sam," Dean asked, "What have you found to undo these Shadow things mumbo jumbo chant?"

"Well," Sam replied, "I was going to make up a chant in Latin but then I remembered one in Dad's journal and it just seemed so appropriate. It calls on the demons and evil spirits to flee, so that anything unclean or evil will flee from the sound; it even dispels the schemes of the evil suckers!!!" Sam looked at Dean smiling in pleasure.

Dean laughed; his younger brother looked like a cat that had got the canary! "Sounds good Sammy, you think it covers all that's necessary?" Dean asked.

"Well, there is another bit that I might add onto this one, it calls on the powers of the Christian Trinity and asks that they make all evil flee. I figured it would add a bit of extra oomph to the chant?" Sam answered little anxiously.

"Hey Sammy you're the book nerd geek boy, you know I could never get my mind around this kinda stuff," Dean answered giving Sam the unquestioning assurance that he was asking for.

"Dean, dude, do you have any idea how that used to drive dad up the wall? Man, he used to get so mad at you cos you couldn't say these words!" Sam reminisced.

Dean grimaced, remembering his dad's angry words as his older son just could not pronoun the wording of chants in Latin. Dean cocked his head as another memory came to mind. The picture bubbled up, and in his mind's eye Dean saw his dad standing in front of him shouting, and Sam sitting on the couch, this big book in his hands, reading out the words that Dean could not pronounce. Dean realised that Sam had the same smirk on his face then, that Sam had had this morning. Dean groaned at the memory, he had been about eleven, meaning Sam would have been seven. Damn, Dean thought, Sam was a clever little guy right from the start. Dean came back to present with a start to see Sam's puzzled face in front of him.

"Dean," Sam queried," You all right bro'?"

"Yeah, no problems Sammy," Dean said, refusing to be drawn any further down the path and into the land of memories.

Sam didn't seem very reassured, and Dean worrying that a chick flick moment was about to emerge from Sam, turned around and walked off into the kitchen, muttering about coffee.

Walking into the kitchen Dean found Josh leaning on the unit frowning worriedly. Dean hesitated; not wanting to interrupt Josh's train of thought. Josh looked up and saw Dean hesitating and guessed what he was thinking.

"Coffee, Dean?" Josh offered, having learnt that Dean needed at least 2 strong large mugs of coffee to kick start his day.

"Yeah, please Josh" Dean answered. "Do you think we got it covered?" Dean asked Josh, bringing both their minds back to the matter at hand.

Leaning back on the cupboards, Josh and Dean went over the hunt details, again, trying to find any holes in them, any way that their siblings could possibly get hurt. Neither of the men wanted to endure the pain of seeing and feeling their siblings get hurt. They had already endured that way too often and neither like the feelings of failure they produced in themselves, so they endeavoured to cover all the loop holes they could possibly think of.

The day passed slowly for Dean. He soon got sick of hearing Sam repeat the chant time after time after time. Dean knew that Sam wanted to embed the chant in his mind, so that even if something happened to himself or the book, he would be able to call to mind the chant in a mini second. By evening, Dean found that he could actually remember most of the chant himself.

Dean had seen Jenny, Mael and Stevie coming into the house at different times during the day and had had quick chats to them all, although Dean smirked to himself, chats with Stevie tended to be a bit one sided, and was more of a game of charades then anything else.

Matt had been busy that day preparing the first aid kit. Dean had given it a quick glance the first day they had arrived, and then the following day he had actually asked to see it again. Dean was impressed with the quality of the kit, and it reassured him, knowing that Matt was a profoundly natural and well taught medic. Dean privately remembered his chat with Matt, and Matt's confession of how when his mother had been killed, he was 3 years into a doctors degree. He had however, pulled out of his schooling and come home to help his family, becoming for them, the difference between life and death.

Dean wandered around, feeling at a loose end, having already cleaned all their weapons, twice. In the end Dean went into the kitchen and began nosing through the food cupboards, planning to put a meal together for the entire group. Not being a real fancy cook, Dean decided on a barbeque, but as he was rummaging through the freezer for meat his mind wandered back to the hunt, and the remains of the campers. At that point, Dean changed his mind, and decided to find something else for dinner.

The evening passed quietly and everyone retired to bed late being keyed up about the upcoming hunt.

As Dean lay in bed, his mind ran over the details of the hunt, for what felt like the two hundredth time in his mind. Sam had the details of the chant down to a fine art, as did most of the others as they had listened to him repeat it endlessly that day. Jenny had come up trumps, and now every member of the group had their own protection amulet. Dean remembered Stevie's bright eyes as Jenny presented him with his own amulet nearly identical to Sam's. Dean knew it was a well-needed reassurance for Stevie, and Dean was quite surprised that Jenny had managed to find the time to make it amidst of all the other preparations. The Tinkerbelle powder, as everyone had taken to calling it, was prepared, and separated into pouches for everyone to have at least one on their bodies, ready for use.

Dean rolled his eyes at his mind, filled with worry over a group of people who he had surprisingly, managed to get quite close to. Dean punched his pillow and sighed deeply, finally clearing his mind in preparation for sleep. His breathing soon slowed down and before he knew it, he was asleep, safe for the moment from the nasties lurking in the dark outside.


	11. Chapter 11

DISCLAIMER: When I own something, I will ring!

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

THE HUNT

Everyone was up bright and early the next morning, mostly due to the clamouring of numerous alarm clocks that pealed out to awaken their sleeping owners. Everyone met down in the kitchen where the morning preparations of breakfast were starting.

Josh and Dean looked at each other in puzzlement, as the unsettled silence seemed to invade the room.

"Come on guys, what's with you all?" Josh loudly asked all the hunters in the kitchen.

Everyone looked up startled, jerked out of their own private worries by Josh's loud and demanding voice.

'We have all hunted before, why are you all so quiet? Anyone would think we were going to get slaughtered today!" Dean chimed in.

Both of the older guys looked around at all the others.

"Sammy?" Dean asked "What's with you, you're never this quiet?"

Sam blushed and looked at Dean and then quickly averted his eyes.

"Oh Damn!" Dean ranted, "You had another dream didn't you?"

Sam looked at Dean; with a pleading 'Please let's not do this in front of the others' look in his eyes.

Dean sighed, rolled his eyes and turned away. He raised his hands and then dropped them to his side saying "Okay if you guys want behave like we're going to a funeral so be it, but I am not eating my breakfast here with you! I so do not need this crap today!" And so saying, Dean picked up his breakfast plate and took it outside.

Josh, glaring at the rest of the group, picked up his breakfast and said "Hey, I'm so with him", nodding his head towards Dean, and following him out. The remaining people looked embarrassedly at each other, picked up their breakfasts and followed their respective leaders outside and into the sunshine.

After a markedly more relaxed breakfast then had been started, everyone retired back to their rooms to get them selves ready for the hunt.

"Right," Josh said, "You guys have 40 minutes to get ready and fall in by the cars. Do not be late!" With that Josh went upstairs, followed by Dean, who looked straight at Sam and nodded. Sam sighed and rolled his eyes thinking that he was a big boy and he certainly didn't need Dean to nag him about getting ready on time.

Jenny walked up to Sam and put her hand on his arm "Er Sam," Jenny started hesitantly, "You know if I was you, I think I would already be moving."

Sam went to answer Jenny, but was abruptly cut off by a loud shout from the top of the stairs

"Sam!" Dean shouted "Move it"

Sam rolled his eyes and muttered one word that had all the rest of the group nodding and smiling. Brothers!!

At the due time everyone rendezvoused at the cars and climbed in. Josh led the way to the hunt, followed by Jenny and then by Dean, bringing up the rear. It was only a short drive through the town of Littleton, and then up into the base of the mountain and on into the forest. The cars were all parked close together, having reversed into spaces, ready for a quick and easy exit, in case it was needed.

All the hunters emerged from the cars, standing and listening uneasily as the peace of the forest flowed over them. They each reached into the cars and took out the tools of their trade. Josh and Dean checked everyone over one last time, ensuring that no one looked overly scared and that all had their amulets on, securely tied around their necks. With a final nod, Josh and Dean led the group off into the forest.

After a short walk, Mael called to Josh, "Josh, stop for a minute man."

Josh stopped walking and everyone stood in a group wondering what had caught Mael's attention.

"Listen" was all Mael said.

Everyone stood and tried not to fidget or to breathe too loudly. Slowly they all became aware of what it was that Mael was talking about. The normal noises of the forest were getting drowned out by a loud mass of noise. The group could soon tell that the oncoming noise was not the sneaky sly creeping of the Shadow creatures, but what sounded like a tidal wave of animal feet, mixed in with the growling and chittering of animal voices. The group of hunters quickly rearranged themselves and stood in the protective embrace of sturdy tree trunks as the horde of animals swarmed past. After they had fled on panic stricken paws, the silence within the forest was deafening.

Josh pushed away from the protection of the tree and looked at the gathered group. "Okay guys, you know what happens now. Let's look sharp and all do our jobs. Hopefully this will go by the numbers and we will all be meeting back by the cars before you can say Bob's your uncle, okay?" Josh made sure he had eye contact with every member of the group, including Sam and Dean. All nodded back and straightened up, tightening grips on their respective weapons.

"Okay, let's get this done then," Dean said authoritatively.

Josh and Dean led the group off again, walking ever deeper into the forest.

Finally, Josh and Dean stopped in a large sun filled clearing. Dean looked around the group and found his brother's face.

"Sam," Dean nodded," This is where you stand, okay?"

Sam nodded and swallowed nervously. He looked about and started slightly when Josh spoke.

"This is a big clearing Sam, and the shadows shouldn't be able to touch you for quite a few hours, okay?"

Sam nodded, still looking nervously around.

Josh nodded at Matt, "You stay near Sam, okay? Anything comes close to him, that aint one of us, just let loose with the Tinkerbelle powder, got it?"

Matt nodded. Sam felt uneasy that he had to have personal protector, as if he couldn't protect himself. He was after all a very competent hunter, having been doing this for years. Dean scowled at the look on Sam's face. He and Sam had already had this conversation before and Dean was well aware of what was going on in his younger brother's nerdy mind.

"Sam!" Dean barked, "It's not going to happen, so just get used to it. Matt stays! You have to be protected, without you doing the chant we can't unmake these crappy Demon Satan Shepherds, so just Chill dude! Stay and do your stuff and do as you're told without arguing, just for once man!"

Sam dropped back a step at the anger in Dean's voice. On checking the expression on his brother's face and seeing the sheer determination to protect Sam on Dean's face, Sam gave in, sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Okay," Sam sighed finally looking at Matt, "Thanks Matt".

Matt knowing what was going on in Sam's mind; put his hand on Sam's shoulder, "No problem dude. You'll be concentrating on reading the chant man; you can't do that and look over your shoulder, so you need a body guard! Chill dude, it's cool!" Matt looked up and nodded at Dean, letting him know that he would protect Sam with all he possessed, as if Sam was his own younger brother. Dean nodded back to Matt acknowledging the commitment in Matt's face.

With that the remainder of the group walked off further into the dark and forbidding forest.

Sam soon warmed up and decided to take off his jacket, figuring that if he started sweating too much he might not be able to concentrate when the crap hit the fan. Matt nodded as Sam started his preparations. Matt decided to follow suit and prepare himself for the oncoming battle. Matt was making no mistake, this was going to be a battle, a battle for a chance to live and there could only be one winner. The winner would either be the Shadow Shepherds or the group, and Matt knew which team he personally wanted to see win.

Sam opened his book and started going over the chant. Matt kept a close watch on the areas of forest surrounding them. He kept busy noting which shadows were where and how much they were changing. Matt sure as heck did not intend to have to face Dean after the battle and tell him why his younger brother had been hurt!

After the group walked off leaving Matt and Sam behind in the clearing, they all became more attuned to the forbidding and slightly cloying silence that now enveloped the forest. Josh halted a bit further in a small clearing, void of trees and bathed in warm sunshine.

"Okay, Jenny, you and Stevie, this is your place to stand." Josh directed them.

Jenny and Stevie looked around and nodded.

Josh went on, "Stand back to back and keep a weather eye out, on each other ok? Wait for the signal and then start with the Tinkerbelle powder. Do not leave this clearing unless you are being over run, okay? The shadows are far more perilous then we can ever understand ok? This clearing where you are looks to be one of their main trails through to the trailing edge of the forest where Sam is. We think they will come through here to get to Sam. Sam and Matt need you to weed out some of the shadows before they get to them, got it?"

Jenny sighed "Josh, we have been over this like a billion times already! You are just wasting time and making us nervous… well nervouser anyway! Stop please!"

Josh chuckled "Nervouser! I will so add that to our book of new words when we get back! Okay, Dean, Mael and I will go now, be care you two!"

Promising they would indeed be careful, and extracting the same promise from Dean, Josh and Mael, Jenny and Stevie soon started their own preparations for the upcoming hunt. Like Sam and Matt, they decided to take off coats and jumpers, not wishing to be diverted at a crucial time from the fight.

Dean, Josh and Mael moved further into the forest, pulling out bags of powdered herbs. Dean looked at Josh and then at the bags of dust and snickered "Tinkerbelle dust." Josh and Mael both snorted and felt the tension inside them both ebb slightly.

With a nod to each other, all three young men separated and went off into separate directions, quietly entering further into the forest, as quiet as a hunter stalking its prey.

The shadow creature hissed as it saw the Man-thing carefully walking further into the forest. The Man-thing was walking slowly and looking all around. If the Shadow creature had been human it would have noticed the cat like grace and stealth this young man had, the way his breathing was controlled and his nerves were kept at bay. Any human being would see that this was a human, hunting machine.

The shadow creature turned its thin black shadowy body and signalled to the others in its tribe. Suddenly the forest came alive with black sliding sneaking moving shadows. Before the Man-thing realised it, he was surrounded by a dense wall of moving shadows, weaving in and out, backwards and forwards. The Man-thing moved and pulled out something shiny. It put its fingers inside it and then brought them out, flicking its fingers towards the Shadow creatures. Something flew off the Man-things fingers, something which burned the shadow creatures making them emit angry pained hisses. Suddenly, the Man-thing turned around and moved its head, listening. Quietly at first, and then growing louder, came an unmelodic sound, almost a chant with no meaning to it. The Man-thing stiffened, and slowed its movements, until it ceased to move at all. The un-chanting increased slightly in volume, enveloping the shadows and the Man-thing held in its sway. A shadow creature slipped up to the Man-thing and reached out to it. It hissed as it came into a pain filled contact with the Man-thing. The Shadow creature leaned in closer to the statue like Man-thing and slowly twisting this way and that it sniffed the Man-thing. It sniffed the man-things eyes and blew its fetid breath over the frozen face of this thing. It moved slightly lower and sniffed the ear and then down the chin until it moved slightly further down and… froze. The Shadow creature let out a loud hissssss when it found the death dealing amulet on the Man-things neck.

After the others had left, Sam and Matt had organised themselves ready for the oncoming battle. There was only two things left to do now and Matt had started doing one of them already. Starting a small distance away from Sam's left foot Matt spread a growing trail of crushed herbs into the circle that he had dug around his and Sam's position. Both he and Sam knew that they had to stay inside this circle of herbs no matter what, and as a result they had come up with a solution to hopefully stop either one of them accidentally stepping over the herb circle, or risking the wind blowing a gap in the circle. When he had completed the entire circle Matt stood up and brushed his hands off and then re-sealed the half empty bag of herbs and put them back in his pocket. Then standing shoulder to shoulder, Matt and Sam stood and waited for the battle to come.

Jenny and Stevie had also dug and lined an herb circle to surround their position and provide spiritual protection for themselves against the shadow creatures. Then they too, unknowingly similar to Sam and Matt, stood shoulder to shoulder and waited for the battle to come to them.

The Man-thing was frozen statue stiff. He felt the shadow thing approach him and felt its evil foul shadow fall on his skin. His mind felt like it was made of thick gluggy mud, but even so he felt his skin crawl when the shadow creature breathed its foul breath across his face. He tried not to dry heave as his body rebelled against the very evil contained in the slimy evil black shadows. He heard it hiss in pain as it tried to touch the amulet, and he felt a momentary flare of hope. He soon realised however that with each new hiss of pain, the shadow creatures tried to tug and break the amulet from off his neck. Sooner rather than later, he knew the amulet would break and he would be powerless to stop the possession of his body by one of the shadow creatures. His eyes widened in horror as he realised what his immediate future was going to hold for him and the others.

Suddenly the Man thing felt a sharp tug and heard the change in the hissing noise. He realised with absolute horror that the amulet had been snapped and that his fate was sealed.

The Shadow creature slid over to the Man thing and slid into his body. The Man-things body moved stiffly and unevenly, slowly improving in mobility as the shadow creature gained control over the body. It slowly moved out of the group of the shadow creatures and walked down the forest into the thinner areas of trees, where more man things were, ready and ripe for the betrayal.

Inside his body, the man felt the horror as he was shoved aside, inside his own mind and he could only watch with horror at the things control of his body. His mind tried to rebel at the un-chant that was echoing through out his mind, but the pain, the pain was incredible. The more he rebelled the hotter the pain, until… darkness over whelmed him and he knew no more.

The Shadow creature/ Man-thing blend moved further towards the other Man-thing he could see. The other man- thing looked at him/it and said "What are you doing down here? Why are you not patrolling up the other end? You know we can't afford to let one of those suckers get in here lose!"

He/it looked at the speaker and tilted his/it head. The other man-thing walked up close to him/it and he/it turned away as if going to move back to his/its original area. Then, unbeknown to the man-thing he/it slid a large shiny knife out of the sheath at his/its back. Turning around he/it sliced the following Man-thing across his back, blood pouring out from the massive wound.

The man-thing fell to the ground and looked up at him/it, blood pouring out of his back still.

"You," the man-thing gasped out, "What the freakin' hell do you think your doing?"

Suddenly, he/it heard a scream and saw another of the Man-things come running towards the Man-thing that he/it had just sliced open. He/it knew this one was dangerous and he/it had to get away before it got him/it.

The oncoming Man-thing slid along the ground lifting the bleeding Man-thing into his arms,

"Dean," sobbed Sam "Don't you leave me."


	12. Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, when I do I will call!

SHADOWS IN THE DARK

KILL EVERYONE OF THOSE OF SUCKERS

Sam saw the attack on Dean, saw the way the sun glinted off the knife, and then saw the way blood just poured out of his brothers back. Without even thinking Sam ran down the path to where Dean lay in a bloody huddled heap. Sam slid along the ground and grabbed Dean to his chest, not realising as he did, the words that were screaming out of his mouth as he cried into his brother's hair. "Don't you leave me Dean, don't you leave me."

Matt, standing next to Sam, saw with horror as his brother slashed Dean across the back with his huge razor sharp knife. He too saw the mass of blood as it fountained out of Dean's back. When Sam took off running, Matt froze, unable to take in that _his_ brother had done this_, his brother_! Then clarity came, he knew that if Dean was to live, he had to move sharply. Matt dashed over to where Sam lay cradling Dean's bloody body and tried to prise him out of Sam's arms, but Sam would not release Dean, not to anyone. Matt looked around and saw Josh, wearing a similar dazed expression that Matt himself had been wearing a minute prior.

"Josh", Matt called urgently, "Help me with this."

Josh jumped, and ran over to where the group were. At that moment, running full pelt down the dusty forest track came Jenny and Stevie, having heard Sam's scream of anguish in the distance. Josh grabbed Sam yelling at the sobbing young man "Let him go Sam, let him go. Let Matt work on him."

Sam refused to budge, not even really seeming to hear what Josh was saying.

Josh grimaced, and then leant down, wrapped his long arms around Sam's torso and picked Sam bodily up from off the ground. Matt kept a firm grip on Dean and so they managed to separate the two brothers. Sam went berserk. Dean needed him, he couldn't last without Dean and someone had taken Dean away from him. Sam lashed in fear and anger, hitting and kicking blindly at whoever had removed him away from Dean.

"Jenny," Matt called urgently, "Help me with this."

Jenny moved over to Matt as he was putting a huge thick dressing on Dean's back.

"Kneel on him Jenny" Matt instructed her.

"What?" Jenny looked up at her brother in horror. She couldn't kneel on Dean's back… it would be horrifically painful!

Matt glared at Jenny "We have to stop the bleeding, that means pressure, and as it's such a huge cut, this is the only way we can get enough pressure on it. He won't feel it Jenny, he is out to it, but unless we stop this bleeding he will be dead!"

Jenny gulped and then slowly and carefully lowered herself onto her knees as she knelt on the thick wound dressing that was covering the bloody slash across Dean's back, worrying that despite Matt's reassurances that she would hurt Dean even more.

Josh, by this time had managed to pin Sam down on the ground. Josh had ended up twisting Sam's arm back behind his body and leaning his knee onto Sam's head with most of his full body weight behind it. The pain from these combined actions was only just keeping Sam pinned down.

Stevie looked at his brother who was still holding the huge knife with blood dripping off the blade. Stevie saw the blank stare radiating from his brother's eyes and he knew that his brother had been possessed as he himself had once been. Flicking his eyes swiftly to the two close groups of people he cared about, Stevie realised how vulnerable they all were. Keeping his eyes fixed on his brother; Stevie withdrew the packet of herbs out of his pocket and started making a large circle around his family and friends, of protective herbs. The shadow creatures hissed at this, and the hissing grew louder the faster Stevie poured. His possessed brother reached out to his shoulder to grab hold of him, but hissed in anger and pain in reaction to the protective amulet that Stevie wore. Stevie knew that Sam had to start the chant. Stevie looked at Sam being pinned down by Josh and wondered how he could get Sam to forget his brother's pain and concentrate on the chant. For Stevie knew that if they didn't get the chant done, and done soon, then they would all be on a rotisserie tonight. But how could he possibly get Sam's mind off Dean and back on to the chant?

Dean groaned. Matt leaned down and looked into Dean's face, and said "How we doing there Ace?"

Dean shuddered "Shuddup", he wetly spat out. "Where's Sam?"

Matt nodded at Josh who released Sam, and helped Sam to scoot over to Dean's side.

Sam looked with glazed eyes at his brother and said "Dean?"

Dean did not look good, but he managed to open one eye and glare at Sam.

"Hey Sam, do the damned chant dude"

"But Dean, we got to get you out of here"

"Sam, listen to me, none of us will get out of here unless you do the damned chant. Now get off your butt and do the flaming thing dude! Don't make me get up and come and kick your butt geek boy!"

Sam looked stunned. Dean sighed and his eyes slowly closed. Sam realised that Dean was saying something and as he leaned closer he realised what Dean was saying. He was saying the damned chant!

"Exercizo te, creatura aquae, in nomine Dei Patris"

Sam trembled and licked his lips. His mind was a blank slate. How could he do the chant if he couldn't remember it?

Stevie had watched the interaction between Sam and Dean and had sidled closer to be near to Sam. Stevie couldn't imagine how he would feel if it was one of his brother's lying on the ground bleeding out.

Stevie moved in and leaned against Sam, he licked his lips and opened his mouth

"omnipotentis, et in nomine Jesu Christi, Filii ejus Domini nostri…" to join in with Dean in saying the chant. Sam turned and stared at Stevie, and Josh leaned down and put his hand on Stevie's head.

'Well done lil bro'," Josh said softly.

Josh then leant his other hand on Sam's shoulder and said softly to Sam "Come on Sam, you have to do this, for Dean, for Jenny, for all of us dude. We can't get out of this alive unless you do it. Do you want to see Jenny cooked alive and then eaten?"

Sam looked up at Josh and then looked out across the clearing and at that moment realised what everyone else had realised a short moment before hand. Surrounding the group was a thick mass of black shadows, creating a blanket of sound as they mumbled their own un-chant; just listening to it made Sam feel nauseaus. He looked back at Josh, looked at Dean, and nodded to Stevie. Then in a loud and strong voice he picked up the chant from the other two young men.

"et in virtute Spiritus Sancti: ut fias aqua exorcizata ad effugandam omnem postestatem inimici, et ipsum inimicum…." As Sam continued on the chant, accompanied by Stevie, the shadow creatures began to scream, an unearthly demonic scream, the kind that not many had ever heard before, and all those present never wished to hear again. The screaming rose in pitch and volume the further into the chant Sam and Stevie got. The mass of black shadows moved faster and faster outside the herb protection circle that the friends dwelt within.

Reaching an unbearably painful pitch and volume the shadow creatures gave one long agonised squealing scream and disappeared, wiped out by the combined chant of Stevie and Sam.

In the sudden and deathly silence Sam realised that Stevie had some how wedged himself underneath Sam's arm and Sam had grasped tightly onto Stevie's shoulder. Josh also realised that he was leaning heavily against Sam's back; one hand clenched tightly to Sam's shoulder, the other on Stevie's shoulder.

Everyone sat up and breathed deeply in the sudden onslaught of quiet. Josh stood upright and checked out all his siblings and realised Mael was missing. Looking across the clearing Josh could see Mael laying on his back, one had twisted awkwardly beside himself, the other twisted grotesquely underneath his body, which was laying ominously still. Josh yelled "Mael" and ran across the clearing to his brother.

Josh felt in Mael's neck for a pulse and felt a weak but steady flutter underneath his fingers. He called Mael's name again and felt Mael stir underneath his hand. Suddenly Josh wondered if Mael could still be possessed despite the chant. Then Josh felt someone at his back and saw a hand come over his shoulder and give him a plastic bag with a few ground herbs in the bottom. Looking up Josh saw Stevie standing there offering the herbs, as a way to make sure Mael was not still possessed. Josh nodded thanks to Stevie and shook some of the herbs over Mael's bare neck. Suddenly Mael wriggled and then shook his head violently. Josh moved back fearfully and wondered if he could save his younger brother. Then Mael….sneezed. "Dude, you trying to kill me or what?" came Mael's dry pain filled voice.

Josh smiled and laid his hand gently on the back of Mael's neck before saying "Bless you".

Looking around the clearing that was slowly becoming refilled with the normal sounds of the forest, Josh looked towards where Matt was busy trying to help Dean. Josh saw that Matt had now got Sam to hold the bag of fluids that Matt was slowly getting to drip into Dean's veins. Josh sighed wondering at what other surprises Matt's medical pack held. It looked like his brother was prepared for anything. Feeling Josh's gaze on him Matt looked up and shrugged his shoulders, telling Josh that even he didn't know if Dean was going to make it. Josh sighed and started organising his group to start the slow and careful trip back home, grateful that it wasn't far away.

Some two weeks later, Josh listened to the argument that had been ongoing for the last 4 days. Three young men's voice rose and bickered, back and forth. Josh knew he would have to go and step in shortly, before a mock battle broke out in the dining room, but for the moment he was happy just to hear the interaction between Sam, Stevie and Mael.

The 10 days before that had been an anxious and tense time for the entire group. The seeming betrayal by Mael as he tried to kill Dean and Dean's perilous grip on life had threatened all of them, not least of which, Mael, who withdrew deeply into himself as he realised what he had so nearly accomplished. It was only when Dean turned the corner in his healing and Matt pronounced that Dean was defiantly going to live, that things started changing for the better. Sam lightened up, and actually left Dean's side long enough to shower and sleep for more than 5 minutes at a time. Stevie had managed to convince Mael that the whole was not his fault, and although at times Mael still did drop into a despondent silence, Josh had hopes for his eventual and total recovery. The biggest surprise to everyone was Stevie. The young man had become a loud and outspoken member of the family, as if making up for all the years of silence. Josh winced as he heard the voices rise to a louder volume and he moved to prevent another battle from breaking out.

During the following month, friendships were deepened until it seemed like Sam and Dean were actually additional family members.

Dean healed more and regathered his strength, which according to Matt; would still be a while before Dean was fully fit again. However, both he and Sam felt the call of the road and both realised that the day of parting was looming up. Finally after nearly 8 weeks at the family's home the day came. Promises were made and handshakes and hugs exchanged, then finally the Impala pulled out of the drive for the last time and Sam aimed her for the ever unrolling blacktop.

FINI

* * *

The chant is in genuine Latin and is an actual chant used by the Roman Catholic Church for blessing water. The actual translation of the words are entirely appropriate for the story, as the bit I used, is used in real life to cleanse the water of all evil enemies!

Thanks for reading.


End file.
